Educator Interview Introduction
The two nurse educators chosen for these interviews are both educators within the University of Rochester. S. M. is an academic educator at the University of Rochester who teaches full-time didactic courses in the RN-BSN program, accelerated RN program and DNP program. M. S. is a full-time clinical educator in the emergency department (ED) at the University of Rochester’s (U of R) affiliated medical center, Strong Memorial Hospital (SMH). M.S. is also an adjunct clinical instructor at Monroe Community College (MCC) for their ADN program.
M.S. interview:
Qualifications & Credentials: Graduated with AND from MCC, BSN from U of R and MNE from Roberts Wesleyan College; Certified in BLS, ACLS, ATCN, ABLS, and CPAN; Completed simulation training
Experience: Academic educator for a collective 4 years at U of R teaching clinical, skills lab and simulation lab for accelerated BSN students in their final semester, and at MCC teaching fundamentals of nursing and clinical skills labs for ADN program; Clinical nurse educator for 5 years at U of R SMH ED while teaching as an adjunct clinical instructor for adult and pediatric medical/surgical clinical rotations at MCC. She is the clinical nurse educator for the ED, Observation Unit, multiple urgent care affiliates and our free-standing ED.
Areas of Expertise: Emergency Medicine & Professional Development
Highlights: Fortunate to work with many nurses that bring energy into the nursing profession and emergency medicine, working with nurses across the spectrum (novice to proficient), front row seat to the growth and development of nurses, mentor/role model, the variety of educational opportunities associated with working in a hospital that focuses on education and research, and values the fact that she has a boss who allows her to be autonomous yet challenges and supports her personal professional growth as she works to develop that of other nurses
Challenges: Large variety of personalities, difficult to get everyone moving in the right direction, encouraging nurses to be supportive and accepting of change, can be difficult to manage the educational and professional development needs for such a large volume of nurses
Future Plans: Enjoys her current position, wants to obtain certification in professional development, continue to stay abreast to advances in nursing education and the nursing profession
Advice to the Student: Learn your resources, work collaboratively, be open minded and patient – “you never know where the journey will take you,” “the possibilities are endless,” and “the great thing about nursing education is that you can make it what you want it to be.”
Reflection:
After interviewing M. S. and asking her to describe her role as a nurse educator, she mentioned that being a clinical nurse educator is “being the nurse’s nurse.” She explained how she came about her current role as a clinical educator in the ED and her role in developing an ED specific nurse residency program. She discussed how she took the existing foundation (or lack thereof) of the nurse residency program and developed objectives and outcomes to refine and meet the needs of the graduate nurses entering the ED clinical setting as well as the needs of the patients in which we serve.
She really put it into perspective for me when she compared the graduate nurses in the nurse residency program to apples; which sounds silly but makes total sense. Graduate nurses enter the workforce and are expected to quickly transition to practice but what employers often forget is that nurses need to be nurtured and that takes time; in order to grow apples, you need adequate dirt, sun and water. She said “you really can’t get there without this thought process.” Whether I decide to teach in the academic or clinical setting, I will always hold this statement close to my heart because it couldn’t be truer.
Additionally, as I reflect on my interview with M.S., I enjoyed our conversation regarding the ability to continuously keep staff motivated to learn, which can be very challenging. M.S. is well versed in many aspects of being a clinical educator and has the ability to teach in a variety of settings. She is always well prepared to teach “on-the-fly” training, continuing education and to support staff in terms of growth and development. She remains optimistic about the changes I nursing practice and acts as a role model for each of the staff nurses. Staff nurses respect her and look up to her. She mentions that she has only been a clinical nurse educator in this setting for 5 years and feels it has taken her that long just to wrap her arms around what her job truly entails. She admits that she is not an expert but is well on her way. The biggest take away from my interview with M. S. was the reminded me that all the things worth doing, take time. With my passion for assisting in growth and development of clinical nurses, I can only aspire to be as well-rounded as she is and feel thankful for the insight gained following this interview with her.
S. M. Interview:
Qualifications & Credentials: Bachelor’s degree in Biology from St. Bonaventure; BSN, FNP and DNP from U of R; also certified in emergency nursing (CEN).
Experience: Adjunct clinical & skills lab instructor for 2 years at U of R; Became full-time academic didactic instructor at U of R since 2010 – teaches research and EBP for RN-BSN program, fundamentals of nursing and research for accelerated BSN program, and EBP and DNP II (project design course) for DNP program; still practices clinically per-diem at U of R affiliated Urgent Care centers.
Areas of Expertise: EBP and research at all educational levels (RN-BSN, accelerated BSN, DNP), Fundamentals of nursing and medical/surgical nursing; ED, trauma and disaster management
Highlights: Enjoys seeing the success of students as they progress through the accelerated program and into nursing practice, enjoys developing teaching strategies to make class fun, rewarding and meaningful, being a career counselor and mentor for students as they begin to consider post-graduate clinical practice settings
Challenges: Managing student behaviors, generational differences, time management and self-discipline in curriculum development and execution
Future Plans: Enjoys her current role teaching throughout across the continuum, wants to transition to teaching more DNP classes, remain per Diem at urgent care to keep up with clinical skills, recently enrolled in legal nurse consultant courses
Advice to the Student: Always prepare for what you are intending to teach – watch/read the materials assigned to students, teach to pass NCLEX, keep up to date with current practices, communicate with other nursing faculty - nursing students hate inconsistencies, identify your resources, and start small by teaching clinical or skills labs and ease your way into teaching in more didactic settings.
Reflection:
Interviewing with S. M. was an interesting and enlightening experience because I do not currently have any experience in teaching in the academic setting. Having worked clinically with S. M. in the past, and seeing where she is now serves in part as my inspiration. My initial drive to complete a master’s degree in nursing education was to be able to effectively teach clinical groups. During our discussion, I mentioned that I am more comfortable teaching in smaller groups. S. M. said that teaching in large groups, for most, requires time and experience. She reinforced that she too felt this way when she entered the education profession. Her biggest piece of advice to me was to start my role as a nurse educator by teaching as an adjunct clinical or skills lab instructor. She mentioned that this will give me great insight and experience to effectively teaching nursing students in the didactic setting if this is the direction in which I wished to take my career.
S. M. mentioned that her first priority as an educator is ensuring her student’s success, which is similar to my mentality. I firmly believe that that all students learn differently and have different intelligences and that it is important to create a classroom that fosters learning for everyone. One of the biggest struggles I expect to face in this setting is the ability to know which teaching strategies are effective. In order to foster student learning, S. M. mentions that she finds teaching strategies that make class fun, interesting, rewarding and meaningful to her students. She uses creative and innovative approaches and treats each class of students for the individuals that they are. She mentions that what works for one group of students may not work for the next. She takes student feedback seriously and utilizes summative and formative evaluation during class to ensure learning is occurring. She mentions sharing a lot of real-world stories and scenarios with her RN-BSN and accelerated nursing students. I, too, believe that sharing stories is a great way to foster learning as this is a method that always worked well for me as a student and is a method that I hope to utilize as an educator.
S. M. looks very much forward to watching undergraduate nursing students venture into the work force. She validates that she immediately smiles when she passes a former nursing student in the hospital hallway, proudly wearing their badge and stethoscope, or when they return to her office to share in their new experiences as a nurse. What could possibly be more satisfying than knowing you helped to foster the growth of that nurse!? I can only hope to have this same impact on nursing students in the future.
The two nurse educators chosen for these interviews are both educators within the University of Rochester. S. M. is an academic educator at the University of Rochester who teaches full-time didactic courses in the RN-BSN program, accelerated RN program and DNP program. M. S. is a full-time clinical educator in the emergency department (ED) at the University of Rochester’s (U of R) affiliated medical center, Strong Memorial Hospital (SMH). M.S. is also an adjunct clinical instructor at Monroe Community College (MCC) for their ADN program.
M.S. interview:
Qualifications & Credentials: Graduated with AND from MCC, BSN from U of R and MNE from Roberts Wesleyan College; Certified in BLS, ACLS, ATCN, ABLS, and CPAN; Completed simulation training
Experience: Academic educator for a collective 4 years at U of R teaching clinical, skills lab and simulation lab for accelerated BSN students in their final semester, and at MCC teaching fundamentals of nursing and clinical skills labs for ADN program; Clinical nurse educator for 5 years at U of R SMH ED while teaching as an adjunct clinical instructor for adult and pediatric medical/surgical clinical rotations at MCC. She is the clinical nurse educator for the ED, Observation Unit, multiple urgent care affiliates and our free-standing ED.
Areas of Expertise: Emergency Medicine & Professional Development
Highlights: Fortunate to work with many nurses that bring energy into the nursing profession and emergency medicine, working with nurses across the spectrum (novice to proficient), front row seat to the growth and development of nurses, mentor/role model, the variety of educational opportunities associated with working in a hospital that focuses on education and research, and values the fact that she has a boss who allows her to be autonomous yet challenges and supports her personal professional growth as she works to develop that of other nurses
Challenges: Large variety of personalities, difficult to get everyone moving in the right direction, encouraging nurses to be supportive and accepting of change, can be difficult to manage the educational and professional development needs for such a large volume of nurses
Future Plans: Enjoys her current position, wants to obtain certification in professional development, continue to stay abreast to advances in nursing education and the nursing profession
Advice to the Student: Learn your resources, work collaboratively, be open minded and patient – “you never know where the journey will take you,” “the possibilities are endless,” and “the great thing about nursing education is that you can make it what you want it to be.”
Reflection:
After interviewing M. S. and asking her to describe her role as a nurse educator, she mentioned that being a clinical nurse educator is “being the nurse’s nurse.” She explained how she came about her current role as a clinical educator in the ED and her role in developing an ED specific nurse residency program. She discussed how she took the existing foundation (or lack thereof) of the nurse residency program and developed objectives and outcomes to refine and meet the needs of the graduate nurses entering the ED clinical setting as well as the needs of the patients in which we serve.
She really put it into perspective for me when she compared the graduate nurses in the nurse residency program to apples; which sounds silly but makes total sense. Graduate nurses enter the workforce and are expected to quickly transition to practice but what employers often forget is that nurses need to be nurtured and that takes time; in order to grow apples, you need adequate dirt, sun and water. She said “you really can’t get there without this thought process.” Whether I decide to teach in the academic or clinical setting, I will always hold this statement close to my heart because it couldn’t be truer.
Additionally, as I reflect on my interview with M.S., I enjoyed our conversation regarding the ability to continuously keep staff motivated to learn, which can be very challenging. M.S. is well versed in many aspects of being a clinical educator and has the ability to teach in a variety of settings. She is always well prepared to teach “on-the-fly” training, continuing education and to support staff in terms of growth and development. She remains optimistic about the changes I nursing practice and acts as a role model for each of the staff nurses. Staff nurses respect her and look up to her. She mentions that she has only been a clinical nurse educator in this setting for 5 years and feels it has taken her that long just to wrap her arms around what her job truly entails. She admits that she is not an expert but is well on her way. The biggest take away from my interview with M. S. was the reminded me that all the things worth doing, take time. With my passion for assisting in growth and development of clinical nurses, I can only aspire to be as well-rounded as she is and feel thankful for the insight gained following this interview with her.
S. M. Interview:
Qualifications & Credentials: Bachelor’s degree in Biology from St. Bonaventure; BSN, FNP and DNP from U of R; also certified in emergency nursing (CEN).
Experience: Adjunct clinical & skills lab instructor for 2 years at U of R; Became full-time academic didactic instructor at U of R since 2010 – teaches research and EBP for RN-BSN program, fundamentals of nursing and research for accelerated BSN program, and EBP and DNP II (project design course) for DNP program; still practices clinically per-diem at U of R affiliated Urgent Care centers.
Areas of Expertise: EBP and research at all educational levels (RN-BSN, accelerated BSN, DNP), Fundamentals of nursing and medical/surgical nursing; ED, trauma and disaster management
Highlights: Enjoys seeing the success of students as they progress through the accelerated program and into nursing practice, enjoys developing teaching strategies to make class fun, rewarding and meaningful, being a career counselor and mentor for students as they begin to consider post-graduate clinical practice settings
Challenges: Managing student behaviors, generational differences, time management and self-discipline in curriculum development and execution
Future Plans: Enjoys her current role teaching throughout across the continuum, wants to transition to teaching more DNP classes, remain per Diem at urgent care to keep up with clinical skills, recently enrolled in legal nurse consultant courses
Advice to the Student: Always prepare for what you are intending to teach – watch/read the materials assigned to students, teach to pass NCLEX, keep up to date with current practices, communicate with other nursing faculty - nursing students hate inconsistencies, identify your resources, and start small by teaching clinical or skills labs and ease your way into teaching in more didactic settings.
Reflection:
Interviewing with S. M. was an interesting and enlightening experience because I do not currently have any experience in teaching in the academic setting. Having worked clinically with S. M. in the past, and seeing where she is now serves in part as my inspiration. My initial drive to complete a master’s degree in nursing education was to be able to effectively teach clinical groups. During our discussion, I mentioned that I am more comfortable teaching in smaller groups. S. M. said that teaching in large groups, for most, requires time and experience. She reinforced that she too felt this way when she entered the education profession. Her biggest piece of advice to me was to start my role as a nurse educator by teaching as an adjunct clinical or skills lab instructor. She mentioned that this will give me great insight and experience to effectively teaching nursing students in the didactic setting if this is the direction in which I wished to take my career.
S. M. mentioned that her first priority as an educator is ensuring her student’s success, which is similar to my mentality. I firmly believe that that all students learn differently and have different intelligences and that it is important to create a classroom that fosters learning for everyone. One of the biggest struggles I expect to face in this setting is the ability to know which teaching strategies are effective. In order to foster student learning, S. M. mentions that she finds teaching strategies that make class fun, interesting, rewarding and meaningful to her students. She uses creative and innovative approaches and treats each class of students for the individuals that they are. She mentions that what works for one group of students may not work for the next. She takes student feedback seriously and utilizes summative and formative evaluation during class to ensure learning is occurring. She mentions sharing a lot of real-world stories and scenarios with her RN-BSN and accelerated nursing students. I, too, believe that sharing stories is a great way to foster learning as this is a method that always worked well for me as a student and is a method that I hope to utilize as an educator.
S. M. looks very much forward to watching undergraduate nursing students venture into the work force. She validates that she immediately smiles when she passes a former nursing student in the hospital hallway, proudly wearing their badge and stethoscope, or when they return to her office to share in their new experiences as a nurse. What could possibly be more satisfying than knowing you helped to foster the growth of that nurse!? I can only hope to have this same impact on nursing students in the future.
Summary of Interviews:
Interviewing both an academic and clinical nurse educator has provided me with great insight and a better understanding of the roles that each educators exhibit. It was enlightening to hear about each of their journeys from novice nurse educator to where they are now. One of the clearest similarities was that both educators identified their students/nurses as their primary focus and inspiration. Each role allowed the nurse educator to empower the individuals in which they teach; instill knowledge, foster critical thinking, and promote deeper learning.
Both educators emphasized the importance of following your passion in nursing education and despite which direction I chose, to remain dedicated, hardworking and passionate. Both educators stressed the importance of keeping current in evidence based practice and promoted life-long learning to better themselves and the nurses/students in which they teach and inspire. Both educators reminded that an educator role develops over time and is constantly changing to keep up with healthcare innovations. They both reinforced to always identify your resources and value a collaborative approach. Taking a step forward into an educator role will require me to become a student again. They reminded me that with patience, time, experience and dedication, I will do great things and inspire others.
Despite all of the similarities, I also found that there were some differences. The academic nurse educator has more of a classroom or didactic approach and must remain up-to-date with the most innovative student-centered learning strategies. The academic nurse educator focuses their efforts on providing students with a foundation in nursing education such as the information, knowledge and skill that will help them to successfully enter the nursing profession. Though the clinical nurse educator has a strong focus on student-centered learning, a clinical nurse educator is considered to be an expert in clinical practice. A clinical nurse educator focuses on assuring that nurses are up-to-date with best practices that are supported by the literature and enforced by the institution in which they work. The clinical educator focuses on sparking a spirit of inquiry by promoting professional growth and development. Additionally a clinical nurse educator ensures nursing excellence by creating and enforcing continuing education, identifying appropriate competencies, and ensuring the nurses are following institutional policies, procedure and guidelines.
Conducting interviews with both an academic and clinical nurse educator has led me to the belief that being in the role of a nurse educator can be both challenging, yet rewarding. Both educators acknowledge that the best part about nursing education, in either role, is the ability to witness the growth of nurses within various stages of their nursing profession. So much of being a nurse educator is the desire to inspire others to reach their fullest potential. Staying true to my personal philosophy and taking into consideration a combination of advice from both educators will help me to prosper in my future role as a nurse educator.
Interviewing both an academic and clinical nurse educator has provided me with great insight and a better understanding of the roles that each educators exhibit. It was enlightening to hear about each of their journeys from novice nurse educator to where they are now. One of the clearest similarities was that both educators identified their students/nurses as their primary focus and inspiration. Each role allowed the nurse educator to empower the individuals in which they teach; instill knowledge, foster critical thinking, and promote deeper learning.
Both educators emphasized the importance of following your passion in nursing education and despite which direction I chose, to remain dedicated, hardworking and passionate. Both educators stressed the importance of keeping current in evidence based practice and promoted life-long learning to better themselves and the nurses/students in which they teach and inspire. Both educators reminded that an educator role develops over time and is constantly changing to keep up with healthcare innovations. They both reinforced to always identify your resources and value a collaborative approach. Taking a step forward into an educator role will require me to become a student again. They reminded me that with patience, time, experience and dedication, I will do great things and inspire others.
Despite all of the similarities, I also found that there were some differences. The academic nurse educator has more of a classroom or didactic approach and must remain up-to-date with the most innovative student-centered learning strategies. The academic nurse educator focuses their efforts on providing students with a foundation in nursing education such as the information, knowledge and skill that will help them to successfully enter the nursing profession. Though the clinical nurse educator has a strong focus on student-centered learning, a clinical nurse educator is considered to be an expert in clinical practice. A clinical nurse educator focuses on assuring that nurses are up-to-date with best practices that are supported by the literature and enforced by the institution in which they work. The clinical educator focuses on sparking a spirit of inquiry by promoting professional growth and development. Additionally a clinical nurse educator ensures nursing excellence by creating and enforcing continuing education, identifying appropriate competencies, and ensuring the nurses are following institutional policies, procedure and guidelines.
Conducting interviews with both an academic and clinical nurse educator has led me to the belief that being in the role of a nurse educator can be both challenging, yet rewarding. Both educators acknowledge that the best part about nursing education, in either role, is the ability to witness the growth of nurses within various stages of their nursing profession. So much of being a nurse educator is the desire to inspire others to reach their fullest potential. Staying true to my personal philosophy and taking into consideration a combination of advice from both educators will help me to prosper in my future role as a nurse educator.