Educator Interviews
Academic Nurse Educator Interview
The academic nurse educator Kathy* that I interviewed is a full time associate professor in a local nursing college (Associates Degree/Dual Degree) program, and she is an adjunct professor in a local RN to BSN program. Her qualifications and credentials include a MSN in Nursing Education, Board Certification (RN-BC), and she is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). She is currently the director of the assessment skills lab, with responsibility for planning and running simulations. She is also a clinical instructor (medical/surgical rotation) for second level nursing students.
What is your area of expertise?
“My passion is cardiac and med-surg nursing. I have experience working in ICU as a RN, I was a manager of a medical-surgical unit, I have worked as a FNP in an urgent care center, and I have been working as a teacher and clinical instructor for the past 8 years.”
How would you describe your role?
“I am responsible for teaching, clinical, and evaluation of advanced med-surg students, and I am a student advisor. I am the co-chair of the institutional assessment plan, and I am on the steering committee for Middle-States re-accreditation.”
What are the highlights of your role?
“I enjoy seeing student growth throughout their education, also running into graduates of the program working as RNs in the hospital. I love teaching clinical because I still have the chance to interact with patients. I have enjoyed being a part of the curriculum development [concept-based] planning, and I have been involved in lab development and clinical simulations.”
What are some challenges of your role?
“Challenges include politics of the program and professional jealousy, as well as the autonomy required to educate students… There is a diversity of the learning needs of students, and many challenges are related to the large classroom sizes. ‘Flipping the classroom’ has presented some challenges, including students who are not prepared and many of our students seem to be overwhelmed with the curriculum changes over the past year.”
What are your future plans?
“I plan on getting my Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP), and possibly re-visiting working as a FNP in a clinical setting.”
Do you have any advice for me as a future educator?
“Always remember where you came from- never forget your ‘roots.’ This will help you relate to your students. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and remember to have fun!!”
The interview with Kathy was a great opportunity to learn about the various roles and responsibilities of an academic educator in the setting where I hope to work after I finish my MSN degree. I learned about simulation labs, and concept-based curriculum changes, as well as discussing the realities of ‘flipping the classroom.’ Her passion for education and mentoring nursing students is very evident. I believe that she will be a great role model as I transition into the nurse educator role.
Clinical Nurse Educator Interview
The clinical nurse educator Denise* that I interviewed is a full time educator in a large local hospital. Her qualifications and credentials include a MSN degree in Nursing Education, and she is currently enrolled in a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program. She is a nurse educator for a large medical-surgical telemetry unit and an inpatient psychiatric unit, and she is also involved in hospital-wide education.
What is your area of expertise?
“I have had a wide-range of experience working in a trauma level 1 hospital, ortho-neuro unit, med-surg telemetry unit, and the Emergency Department. I have been a clinical nurse educator for 2 years, and I am almost finished with my FNP.”
How would you describe your role?
“I am involved in developing/reviewing hospital policy and procedures, I am responsible for orientation and training of nurses on 2 different units… I teach team leader classes, preceptor workshops, CPR certification classes, and I am involved in the education steering council and I am the chair of my department’s unit practice council.”
What are the highlights of your role?
“I enjoy working with nurses and teaching courses to a diverse range of hospital staff. My focus is on promoting collaboration between hospital administration and the nurses on the units. I would like to see more frontline nursing staff involvement in hospital planning committees- as they are the ones who are impacted by administrative decisions.”
What are some challenges of your role?
“Some of the challenges include having to teach classes ‘on the whim’ without sufficient preparation. Often there are changes in hospital policies that I am asked to educate nurses on before the policies are even fully developed- this can be very frustrating.”
What are your future plans?
“I have 2 classes left until I finish my FNP, and then I hope to work in a community health setting. I would love to work in preventative medicine-specializing in women’s health.”
Do you have any advice for me as a future educator?
“You have so much to offer as an educator, and you can intertwine your nursing skills with education! When you’re teaching classes, present content in a way that people can relate to, try not to just read off your PowerPoint presentations- be as interactive as possible… And while you’re still in school, practice your public speaking skills!”
The interview with Denise was a great opportunity to learn about the various roles and responsibilities of a clinical nurse educator in a hospital setting. I learned about the preparation required for teaching hospital-wide in-services and recognizing nursing education needs on various units. Denise has a passion for education and believes in connecting with the audience of learners. She was excited to hear about my educational experiences, and she offered me support as I pursue a career in nursing education.
This interview assignment was a wonderful opportunity to hear the viewpoints of two experienced nurse educators. The major differences of these roles is the audience of learners and the environmental settings. While academic educators are primarily responsible for teaching nursing students (establishing foundational concepts) clinical educators are responsible for teaching various clinical staff (building on foundational knowledge). While academic educators usually teach in a structured environment (classroom or designated clinical areas), the settings for the clinical nurse educator are more diverse (hospital classrooms, break-rooms, etc.). There are also many similarities of these roles including organizational structure and teaching responsibilities. Whether it be curriculum development or policy and procedures development, both settings involve the educators’ participation in various committees. Both roles involve teaching classes and providing hands-on learning experiences in the clinical setting. Educators in both settings need to evaluate their students’ diverse learning needs, and plan strategies to engage students in the learning process. Both roles are responsible for collaborating with members of the healthcare team, as well as interacting with patients and families. With nursing shortages, there is a growing need for educators in academic and clinical settings. Teaching is a rewarding career with many opportunities! Nurse educators have the important responsibility of promoting lifelong learning principles, and training the next generation of nurse leaders!
[*For the purpose of anonymity, names of the educators were changed].
Jennifer Austin
(March 23, 2015)
The academic nurse educator Kathy* that I interviewed is a full time associate professor in a local nursing college (Associates Degree/Dual Degree) program, and she is an adjunct professor in a local RN to BSN program. Her qualifications and credentials include a MSN in Nursing Education, Board Certification (RN-BC), and she is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). She is currently the director of the assessment skills lab, with responsibility for planning and running simulations. She is also a clinical instructor (medical/surgical rotation) for second level nursing students.
What is your area of expertise?
“My passion is cardiac and med-surg nursing. I have experience working in ICU as a RN, I was a manager of a medical-surgical unit, I have worked as a FNP in an urgent care center, and I have been working as a teacher and clinical instructor for the past 8 years.”
How would you describe your role?
“I am responsible for teaching, clinical, and evaluation of advanced med-surg students, and I am a student advisor. I am the co-chair of the institutional assessment plan, and I am on the steering committee for Middle-States re-accreditation.”
What are the highlights of your role?
“I enjoy seeing student growth throughout their education, also running into graduates of the program working as RNs in the hospital. I love teaching clinical because I still have the chance to interact with patients. I have enjoyed being a part of the curriculum development [concept-based] planning, and I have been involved in lab development and clinical simulations.”
What are some challenges of your role?
“Challenges include politics of the program and professional jealousy, as well as the autonomy required to educate students… There is a diversity of the learning needs of students, and many challenges are related to the large classroom sizes. ‘Flipping the classroom’ has presented some challenges, including students who are not prepared and many of our students seem to be overwhelmed with the curriculum changes over the past year.”
What are your future plans?
“I plan on getting my Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP), and possibly re-visiting working as a FNP in a clinical setting.”
Do you have any advice for me as a future educator?
“Always remember where you came from- never forget your ‘roots.’ This will help you relate to your students. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and remember to have fun!!”
The interview with Kathy was a great opportunity to learn about the various roles and responsibilities of an academic educator in the setting where I hope to work after I finish my MSN degree. I learned about simulation labs, and concept-based curriculum changes, as well as discussing the realities of ‘flipping the classroom.’ Her passion for education and mentoring nursing students is very evident. I believe that she will be a great role model as I transition into the nurse educator role.
Clinical Nurse Educator Interview
The clinical nurse educator Denise* that I interviewed is a full time educator in a large local hospital. Her qualifications and credentials include a MSN degree in Nursing Education, and she is currently enrolled in a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program. She is a nurse educator for a large medical-surgical telemetry unit and an inpatient psychiatric unit, and she is also involved in hospital-wide education.
What is your area of expertise?
“I have had a wide-range of experience working in a trauma level 1 hospital, ortho-neuro unit, med-surg telemetry unit, and the Emergency Department. I have been a clinical nurse educator for 2 years, and I am almost finished with my FNP.”
How would you describe your role?
“I am involved in developing/reviewing hospital policy and procedures, I am responsible for orientation and training of nurses on 2 different units… I teach team leader classes, preceptor workshops, CPR certification classes, and I am involved in the education steering council and I am the chair of my department’s unit practice council.”
What are the highlights of your role?
“I enjoy working with nurses and teaching courses to a diverse range of hospital staff. My focus is on promoting collaboration between hospital administration and the nurses on the units. I would like to see more frontline nursing staff involvement in hospital planning committees- as they are the ones who are impacted by administrative decisions.”
What are some challenges of your role?
“Some of the challenges include having to teach classes ‘on the whim’ without sufficient preparation. Often there are changes in hospital policies that I am asked to educate nurses on before the policies are even fully developed- this can be very frustrating.”
What are your future plans?
“I have 2 classes left until I finish my FNP, and then I hope to work in a community health setting. I would love to work in preventative medicine-specializing in women’s health.”
Do you have any advice for me as a future educator?
“You have so much to offer as an educator, and you can intertwine your nursing skills with education! When you’re teaching classes, present content in a way that people can relate to, try not to just read off your PowerPoint presentations- be as interactive as possible… And while you’re still in school, practice your public speaking skills!”
The interview with Denise was a great opportunity to learn about the various roles and responsibilities of a clinical nurse educator in a hospital setting. I learned about the preparation required for teaching hospital-wide in-services and recognizing nursing education needs on various units. Denise has a passion for education and believes in connecting with the audience of learners. She was excited to hear about my educational experiences, and she offered me support as I pursue a career in nursing education.
This interview assignment was a wonderful opportunity to hear the viewpoints of two experienced nurse educators. The major differences of these roles is the audience of learners and the environmental settings. While academic educators are primarily responsible for teaching nursing students (establishing foundational concepts) clinical educators are responsible for teaching various clinical staff (building on foundational knowledge). While academic educators usually teach in a structured environment (classroom or designated clinical areas), the settings for the clinical nurse educator are more diverse (hospital classrooms, break-rooms, etc.). There are also many similarities of these roles including organizational structure and teaching responsibilities. Whether it be curriculum development or policy and procedures development, both settings involve the educators’ participation in various committees. Both roles involve teaching classes and providing hands-on learning experiences in the clinical setting. Educators in both settings need to evaluate their students’ diverse learning needs, and plan strategies to engage students in the learning process. Both roles are responsible for collaborating with members of the healthcare team, as well as interacting with patients and families. With nursing shortages, there is a growing need for educators in academic and clinical settings. Teaching is a rewarding career with many opportunities! Nurse educators have the important responsibility of promoting lifelong learning principles, and training the next generation of nurse leaders!
[*For the purpose of anonymity, names of the educators were changed].
Jennifer Austin
(March 23, 2015)