Teaching in Nursing: A Guide for Faculty, Essay Example

Introduction

Nurse education is a comprehensive process that requires expert knowledge and guidance in order to set an example for nurse growth and development. This practice must demonstrate that nurse education is critical to the overall development and skill level of a professional nurse and that it supports the demand for high quality and consistency throughout the practice environment. This is an important component of the overall direction of nursing practice and encourages the creation of new ideas and expectations to enable nurses to achieve success once they achieve full independence. Therefore, personal development and evaluation are essential components of this strategy and require a high level understanding and acceptance of nursing-based needs and expectations. Each individual possesses his or her own desire to pursue a specific career path; therefore; these considerations must be made as part of a larger framework in order to achieve success and overall satisfaction within the nursing profession as a whole (Bastable, 2014).

Analysis

Nurse educators must provide an environment that is not only productive, but is also comforting for students who often face experiences that are overwhelming and beyond their original perceptions or expectations (Bastable, 2014). Furthermore, nurse educators must also be able to achieve their own goals and objectives at their own pace without restrictions, but this is often challenging due to other conditions that are beyond their control (McDonald, 2014). As a result, it is necessary to evaluate those on a nurse educator path in the context of their activities and characteristics in order to determine their overall level of preparedness for these events (McDonald, 2014). Nurses must continuously prepare for the educational environment by demonstrating a strong interest in teaching and in helping other students in this capacity; however, they must also embody a number of important personality characteristics and attributes that will support their growth in this type of career path (McDonald, 2014).

Tenure within the nursing field requires advanced education, experience, research, and other considerations that enable nurse educators to move forward with their careers in a manner that will meet their professional needs and expectations (Billings & Halstead, 2012). In this capacity, nurse educators must provide an environment that supports their overall growth and professional development through support from mentors and others who provide guidance and expert knowledge in advancing nurses to the next level in their careers (Billings & Halstead, 2012). In this context, it is important for nurse educators with higher levels of experience to provide insight regarding tenure track and professional advancement through promotions to enable less experienced educators to follow their own path and to recognize the steps that are required to meet this path effectively (Billings & Halstead, 2014). Educators must also take advantage of evidence-based teaching principles in order to achieve a more well-rounded approach to the process in pursuing their own careers (Cannon & Boswell, 2012).

Conclusion

There are significant advantages associated with pursuing a career in nursing education. However, this process requires a strong level of guidance and knowledge regarding the career path and how to achieve the desired levels of growth and promotion that are necessary to reach tenure level in the future. These efforts will continue to be instrumental in supporting a nurse educator’s career path and in shaping professional expectations and eventual outcomes that will contribute to this process. These lessons will encourage nurse educators to pursue their goals through mentoring and overall support for their career path as they move forward in the present and the future.

References

Bastable, S.B. (4th edition). (2014). Nurse as educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice. Sudberry, MA: Jones and Bartlett

Billings, D.M. & Halstead, J.A. (4th edition) (2012). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.

Cannon, S. & Boswell, C. (2012). Evidence-based teaching in nursing: A foundation for educators. Sudbury, Massachusettes: Jones and Bartlett.

McDonald, M.E. (3rd edition.). (2014). The Nurse Educator’s guide to assessing learning outcomes. Burlington, Massachusettes: Jones & Bartlett Learning.