As a clinical nurse educator, my philosophy of teaching is to promote confidence and inspire a passion for nursing in my students. Reflecting on my experience as a new graduate nurse in the OSUWMC Nurse Residency Program, I witnessed the importance of surrounding yourself with peers and supervisors that inspire you to be the best nurse that you can be while also building confidence as a nursing professional. I believe one of the biggest disservices we can do to a new nurse is to only have instilled the knowledge without a proper clinical experience to build confidence in caring for patients. During my time on the dedicated education unit I had the opportunity to help instill confidence in numerous students and newly hired staff. The moment the student gets to put their knowledge to the test and clinically place their first foley catheter in a patient is when that confidence can begin to build in that student and that is what fuels my passion for education.
As a nurse educator, I promote confidence and inspire a passion for nursing by role modeling, exhibiting clinical competency, effectively communicating, and strong organizational skills. The hospital setting is unpredictable, a patient’s status can change quickly, medication reactions can occur, or falls can happen. It is my responsibility as a preceptor to be a role model by demonstrating efficient time management skills, prioritization and adaptability while providing safe patient care (Girija, 2012). Not only is it important to model exceptional patient care, you must also model respectful relationships with the students, staff, and leadership. It is imperative that I embody the qualities I hope to instill in my students.
In order for a new nurse to feel confident in providing safe patient care it is crucial that they develop strong clinical skills. As a nurse educator, I can help students by exhibiting clinical competence. I am able to do this by providing students with policies and upholding those policies when providing patient care. Another opportunity to show clinical competence is during the pre and post clinical conferences. These conferences allow both the students and the instructor to reflect on clinical problems that arose that day and encourage the development of critical thinking skills (Girija, 2012).
An integrated review conducted by Collier (2018) suggested that the ability to develop interpersonal relationships was the most valued skill when it came to clinical teaching effectiveness. Igniting a passion for the nursing profession in my students is one of my driving forces in clinical instructing. To help facilitate this passion it is important that I exhibit enthusiasm towards nursing and the potential for professional development. Displaying this attitude in the clinical setting will help to create a positive learning environment for my students. In continuing to foster a positive learning environment I must remain approachable and supportive. This will encourage respect between the instructor and the students therefore creating a clinical setting where there is freedom for discussion (Girija, 2012).
As a clinical instructor it is my role to be aware of the course objectives and continuously check in with the students to be sure these objectives are being met. Students must also be educated on the course objectives prior to beginning in the clinical setting so they are mindful of what is expected of them (Koharchik & Redding, 2016). In order to be proficient in the clinical setting I must have excellent organizational skills. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy having an organized set of objectives helps the instructor to plan and deliver appropriate instruction, design valid assessment tasks, and ensure assignments are aligned with the course objectives (Bloom’s Taxonomy, 1956). It is also my role as a clinical instructor to keep a pulse on how the students are doing throughout the clinical day and be aware of any status changes of assigned patients. The goal for each clinical day is that all required patient care is provided. This can be completed by talking through the scheduled activities and prioritizing them throughout the shift. This interaction can also help the students develop time management skills which are essential for a nurse in the clinical setting.
In summary, my vision as a nurse educator is to create a safe clinical environment where students can flourish as developing nursing professionals. Fostering this type of learning environment can be done by role modeling, exhibiting clinical competency, effectively communicating, and strong organizational skills. Overall, I hope this philosophy of teaching will help to inspire and create confident nurses that consistently provide high quality care throughout their professional careers.
References
Girija, K. M. (2012). Effective Clinical Instructor– A Step Toward Excellence in Clinical Teaching. International Journal of Nursing Education, 4(1), 25-27.
Kochaarchik, L., & Redding, S. R. (2016, July). Strategies for successful clinical teaching. American Journal of Nursing, 116(7), 62-65.
Collier, A. D. (2018). Characteristics of an effective nursing clinical instructor: The state of the science. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27, 363-374. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13931
Bloom, B. (1956). Bloom’s taxonomy. Retrieved from http://www.bloomstaxonomy.org/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20questions.pdf