Becoming a Nursing Instructor, Essay Example

Professional objectives which I achieved during this course will enable me to work towards my career goal of becoming a nursing instructor. Through this course I recognize the need for effective leadership, excellent communication, and collaborative skills with my colleagues. These three fundamental attributes are essential professional models which will enable me to work towards my goals.

New students to the nursing profession will need guidance to begin to gain skills and confidence. Being an effective leader and role model for students is essential to being a teacher, mentor and instructor. Educators must be leaders in their community and be passionate about this profession (Education Portal, 2010). As a nursing supervisor within a large hospital, I can begin to develop my leadership as I work through my courses and gain the practical experience I will need to be an effective and efficient nursing instructor. Working on the educational component is just one part of being a quality leader and educator. Practice experience in my field is essential to providing my future students with real life scenarios gained through practical nursing training and experience.

My personal growth during this course directly impacts the successful achievement of my educational objectives. Having a practical background in nursing is a direct benefit to meeting the educational goals I am pursuing in this Master’s program. In order to achieve my career goals a Master’s level degree is necessary. As I have worked with patients through this course I have been able to apply the principles and concepts to my nursing skill set. This fosters the developmental educational needs for evidence-based practice. Without continual personal and professional growth the concepts of being an effective educator cannot be realized to the fullest extent possible.

Practicum learning agreements allow students the opportunity to use the knowledge and skills acquired in an academic program, under the direction of a preceptor in a host facility (Lucas, 2010).  Successful completion of an educational program affords the student many concepts and theories.  The practicum supports the educational endeavors through providing the opportunity for the student to practice these concepts and theories while being supervised to hone their skills before entering the workplace. The practicum learning agreement is an effective tool which outlines specifics of the goals and mission the student is attempting to achieve. It details the expected hours of participation, the appropriate person to perform the role of the preceptor and contact information.  However, the most valuable information are the learning objectives which are the instructions for both student and preceptor.

In order to construct a practicum learning agreement the example provided is valuable in providing ideas and concepts for how to begin constructing my own document.  Developing the specific goals of the agreement to include these concepts and ideas should be fully developed for the desired outcomes of the practicum. One example is the value of a needs assessment. As I have worked with my mentor I have learned several concepts on the importance of a needs assessment to identify the learning needs of nurses and students.

In constructing the practicum learning agreement I would include the pertinent information while working with a faculty advisor for effective development and appropriateness. This form functions as a proposal for a project and will contain the outline for objectives and outcomes. It is a contract which should not be taken too lightly and should encompass specific objectives to facilitate the successful learning experience for the student or nurse. This is important in providing the confidence for the student or nurse for future practical work experience.

References

Education Portal (2010). Nursing Instructor: Job Duties and Information about Becoming a Nursing Instructor.  Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/articles/Nursing_Instructor_Job_Duties_and_Information_About_Becoming_a_Nursing_Instructor.html

Lucas, R.M. (2010). Practicum Forms and Paperwork. University of Washington. Retrieved from http://sph.washington.edu/practicum/forms.asp#agree