I decided to enroll in this Nursing Educator Certificate Program because I wanted to learn more about the teaching process and be as effective as I could be in facilitating learning of nurses at all levels that I interact with. I will describe my current teaching goals based on what I have learned thus far in the program.
My first goal is to help learners develop critical thinking skills. Nursing is rarely black and white and nurses often encounter new situations that they may not have been exposed to previously. It is imperative that nurses develop the ability to think critically and apply the knowledge they have to new situations. A crucial component of critical thinking is recognizing when you need help and/ or when you need to ask questions. This is something that I try to impart to others. As nurses, we have a duty to keep patients safe. As a teacher, it is my goal and duty to help learners develop the ability to critically think through situations and recognize when they need to ask for guidance. In my current practice, methods I have used to teach these skills are case studies and discussion with preceptees.
My second goal is to mentor learners in the use of Evidence- Based Practice (EBP) in order to incorporate the best available evidence into their own practice. In healthcare today, new information comes to light regarding disease processes, treatments and patient care every day. Nurses must have the skills to access that evidence and evaluate it to decide whether they should change their practice based on that evidence. In my role, I often help support nurses in performing literature searches and evaluating what they find. In my workplace, we require synthesis and evaluation tables with all policy updates. I often mentor people through this process.
Thirdly, I have a goal to teach nurses the importance of empathy and effective communication with patients. Nurses have the privilege of being part of patient’s lives during some of their most vulnerable moments. Nurses need to keep that in mind and learn how to demonstrate empathy and compassion in their communications with patients. Communication skills that I have recently had the opportunity to teach are de-escalation and trauma informed care communication techniques. This is a method to help practitioners have a better understanding that patients behavior often comes from past traumas. It does not make excuses for the behavior, but helps nurses have a better understanding leading to the ability to be able to approach patients in a way that does not trigger potential aggressive behaviors.
Finally, I have a goal to teach nurses how to work effectively as part of a team. Health care is a team sport and it takes each of us working together to create optimal outcomes for patients. I feel that one of the best ways that I can demonstrate that is to be a role model to others and point out to them in venues such as post conferences, mentoring sessions etc how my behavior and their behaviors I witnessed promoted or detracted from effective teamwork.
I enjoy the roles of teaching and mentoring. I am hopeful that the knowledge I gain throughout this program will make me as effective as possible in those roles.
I am inserting a link to the Brene Brown video on empathy below. I have used this in discussions with many groups on empathy in patient care.