My best advice for you is to make sure you have a mentor or preceptor at the school. Make sure that your mentor is someone you can trust, someone with integrity. (unfortunately, horizontal violence is alive and well among nursing faculty, so choose your confidants and friends wisely. Stay out of interpersonal conflicts and politics.)
Hopefully the instructors who preceded you left copies of their lecture notes, etc. Some are more thorough than others. It is very difficult (but not impossible ) creating lectures purely from scratch.
Research your lecture material thoroughly, until it becomes part of you and you feel a passion for that subject. As you lecture, that enthusiasm will shine through and spark interest in the students. There is great virtue in simplicity (kiss, stay on target and to the point as possible). Less is more. Try not to drown the students with too much information. I know, I know. This is nearly impossible with ADN and BSN curricula, but try anyway LOL always let your students know what are the most important points of your lecture as you are lecturing.
I give out handouts. Caution: don't give out too many (as I did my first year of teaching and "drowned" my students). Remember the axiom: less is more. Simple handouts with the main points of your lecture save time--you will be able to get more bang for your buck, as time is very scarce with lecturing (so much information, so little time). Good handouts will enable the students to write less and concentrate on what you are saying more. I also encourage my students to use tape recorders. That way they aren't so frantic to catch my every word. If your nursing school has a web site, use it to your students' advantage. Post your lecture notes and study guides there. Your students will appreciate the convenience. I try to post my lecture notes early so the students have a chance to read my notes ahead of time.
Integrate pertinent NCLEX-type questions as you lecture. Especially after more important subjects are covered, throw out a question or two. This helps the students process the material better, and also helps with their test-taking skills.
If a study guide is included with your text book, refer to it often and have the students use it (don't recreate the wheel). If not, create a simple one yourself. The students really appreciate having them.
Writing exam questions is an art. It takes time to develop this skill. Nursing test questions are modeled after the NCLEX and are "higher order." most teachers and students (!) aren't accustomed to this type of testing at first. Instead of a simple knowledge question, you are requiring your students to think critically (analyze, evaluate, prioritize), which is so essential to safe nursing practice. All nursing textbooks come with a test bank. I would use these questions first. After awhile, you will learn to create your own. Caution: make sure you choose your test questions before you lecture, so that your lecture will include this material!
Hope this little bit of advice helps. Any other more "seasoned" veterans feel free to post here. I welcome your input.
I'm hoping to get some advice...I just graduated with my MSN and I am interviewing for a teaching position for a BSN program instructor (Fundamentals of Nursing). As part of my second interview, I have to teach something to the instructors for about 5-10minutes. I wasn't given a topic and have never formally taught before...any tips would be greatly appreciated. I've been a critical care nurse for 5 years and my MSN is in Nursing Informatics.
rn1233: You might think about teaching a skill like foley insertion or wound care, with the questions you would ask a student to encourage critical thought and the charting they would do.
Specializes in ICU/Cosmetic Sx/Lasers/Education/School/.
I start my first time teaching at an ADN Program in September. I willl go to an orientation next week for FT/PT instructors. I am going to be working PT teaching clinical only. I am so excited and nervous. I believe this is something that I will truly love to do!!! Any tips would be apprecitiated. I am fortunate to know a lot of the Nursing Instructors since I graduated from there, but they are teaching 2nd and 3rd year. I will be working with the nursing faculty teaching first year students, so I don't know them at all, but I will always have my prior instructors to run to if needed. I am coming into this semester teaching second semester. I hope I get everything I need before clinical starts so I don't start out blindly. I was told that the faculty I am working with started their course from scratch, this course was not offered when I went to school there. It is a new course. Oh, I can't wait!!!!
:heartbeat:yeah:
I just wanted to let everyone know that I am loving the new position!
To help nursing students build on their assessment skills and boost their confidence within themselves is great! I enjoy teaching/conducting clinicals.
I am so glad I took the position! I don't want to do anything else for now!
:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeatMY NEW TRUE LOVE:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat
I am wondering what is the best way to mentor a new instructor who has just finished a masters degree but will be teaching in the fundamental class of an associate degree program. We have trouble with them wanting to go to deep even before students have started into the med-surg content. They also want students to make connections that the student is not ready to make yet. Thank you in advance for your ideas. I really have enjoyed reading the tips you have shared.
Cultural Competence is of upmost importance for the new educator/instructor. I know that I struggled w/ the multicultural student even though i studied Lenninger's theory and taught the lecture on Cultural Competence. It took me a good two years and I am still learning about the student who is from a different culture. We spend so much time teaching them about the "patient" that we forget about them. So, I would say that the instructor needs to learn about the student population. I wish I had a mentor who had helped me w/ this. I did better this semester because I had mostly white Caucasian students (a rarity in and around Boston), one African American, and one of Portuguese descent.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I am loving the new position!
To help nursing students build on their assessment skills and boost their confidence within themselves is great! I enjoy teaching/conducting clinicals.
I am so glad I took the position! I don't want to do anything else for now!
:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeatMY NEW TRUE LOVE:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat
Evelyn,
How cool is this? How are you doing? I recall how excited I was w/ my first position. When you know it is for you then you don't want to do anything else. I tried another job after two fiasco's w/ two different schools who wanted me to compromise my ethics and ANA standards. I said I wouldn't go back to teaching but, I did and found a school which doesn't compromise students or my ethical/moral standards. Keep us updated and if I can be of help please let me know. Blessings in your new career!
Hi! I was just hired for a clinical instructor position in an ADN program. I have been in the nursing field for many years, but have been out of "clinical" nursing for a couple of years. I taught student nurses in an ADN and a BSN program (didactic and sim lab), and have precepted nurses for many years (though about 5 years ago) in the clinical arena. So...
I am pretty nervous about several things-
1. Going back to the clinical arena, though I am also looking forward to it as I need/want to get back into it. I am sure it is like getting back on and riding a bike after some time of not doing it, right??? Also, I hope that I am not overestimating my ability to jump right back in after being away for the clinical arena for awhile??? Please tell me what you think.
Also, I noticed that several of you are willing to share paperwork, but we have to email you to get it. Since I just joined, I guess I am not allowed to email anyone until I have put in 15 posts. So, could anyone who has clinical info that they are willing to email, please send it to me? If you cannot send it to my site here on allnurses, I am willing to give you my email address to email it to. Please let me know!
Also, I will be teaching students are both end of the spectrum- beginning and seniors. Any pointers on anything would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for the great tips. If I'm hired as a faculty member, I will practice your advise. I have completed my MSN-EDU, and I am having trouble finding a faculty position. It seems the only places hiring nurse educators are the the hospitals as a clinical nurse educator. I want to work in a university setting given lectures as well as in the clinical area with student nurses. With all the talk about shortages of nursing faculty, I thought I would have been working already.
:heartbeat:yeah: 
rn1233
36 Posts
I'm hoping to get some advice...I just graduated with my MSN and I am interviewing for a teaching position for a BSN program instructor (Fundamentals of Nursing). As part of my second interview, I have to teach something to the instructors for about 5-10minutes. I wasn't given a topic and have never formally taught before...any tips would be greatly appreciated. I've been a critical care nurse for 5 years and my MSN is in Nursing Informatics.