Nurse to Nurse Educator Reflection

Nurse Education Reflection

Nursing education brings challenges and rewards. As a nursing assistant instructor, I get to see the student light up the first time that they hear the blood pressure accurate, the first time they count the respiration correctly, and the first time they recognize an irregular heart rate from taking a radial pulse. Teaching student’s new skills has endless rewards.

The greatest reward is when you have practiced all the skills in the lab and start the clinical week. The students start out timid to make the first contact with the residents. After several hours, they too recognize that caring for the elderly brings endless rewards to them. I see the face of the student change from fear to care. The chores of taking care of the elderly, that once seemed daunting, now seem not so terrible when they hear the story of the ones they are taking care of. The students hear stories of prior teachers, lawyers, farmers, and war heroes. The realization has come that they are just people who are at the end of their life and now need help with taking care of themselves.

I find great joy in being a part of the learning process as students learn to care for others.