You learn from everyone everywhere!
As you get to meet your fellow faculty members, be on the lookout for someone who can be your mentor. “Choosing between a few people helps you pick the one that fits well with your philosophy of learning,” says Gardner. She continues by advising that you plan monthly meetings with your mentor and others that are great at certain aspects of learning. “For example,” she says, “the med/surg people might be best at clinical preparation, but your mentor may be best at test construction.”
Also, look outside your department for help. Most schools have faculty development resources and events on campus. These tools can help with everything from selecting pedagogy to helping you navigate through student resources.
“Identifying both official and unofficial mentoring resources early is essential,” agrees Nelson. Not only do you need mentors to help you become a better instructor, but you need an emotional support system, and the official mentor may not be someone you want to confess your weaknesses and concerns to.
“Find a safe place to vent and safe people to vent to,” advises Nelson. “You will get upset about things, and you’ll need to vent, but you don’t want to sabotage your career or violate confidentiality,” she adds.
To help temper frustration “ask when you don’t understand something, and have people explain it to you until you do get it,” Gardner advises. “ So often new faculty are hesitant to ‘waste’ other people’s time or extend a meeting, but it is so important for new faculty to get the history and depth behind a decision,” she stresses.
“Orienting and mentoring new faculty are vital commitments our teaching team makes,” says Patterson with pride. “We work very diligently to make sure we have a great support system in place, both formally and informally,” she adds. While it may be evident that brand new faculty members need mentoring, the role of an experienced faculty member coming in from another institution may confuse things a bit. “Don’t assume the experienced person doesn’t need mentoring or has had mentoring in the past,” cautions Patterson.
“Mentoring is a delicate thing,” says Patterson. “Remember the live chicks children used to get Easter Morning? You have to treat new faculty like handling those chicks…keep your hand open and close to you, but don’t crush the life out of them,” she intones with a chuckle. “When I mentor new faculty I ask them, ‘Tell me about your why,’” she says. “Knowing what motivates them helps me to know where they’re coming from and how I can best nurture them.”
On the flip-side, an experienced person coming into a new school should know that the new school doesn’t expect you to have all the answers. There will still be orientation and things you’ll need to learn. “Don’t try to change everything all at once,” advises Patterson. “Observe. Know that you will learn something.”
Rest assured, there will be tough days, and when they happen “I reach back to remember a great story about a previous student’s success to keep motivated,” shares Patterson. New faculty may recall a patient instead until they collect student memories, but “these success stories help us remember why we do what we do,” Patterson assures.
Outside of school resources, you’ll want to attend conferences, and while new faculty, especially nurses from clinical settings, may gravitate towards clinical-focused conferences, “it’s equally, if not more, important to attend educational conferences in your first three years,” advises Gardner. Patterson agrees. “Nurses come in with a strong clinical background, but they need guidance with things like learning theory, curriculum design and educational presentations. Post-graduate certificates in teaching are very valuable as is the NLN certification for nurse educators,” she says giving well-deserved recognition to an organization where she serves as president of the NJ chapter.
As you get the basics down, you want to be on the lookout for teachable moments. Patterson shared how a recent reading of a New York Times article about patients not getting the rest they needed while in the hospital fit it extremely well in preparing for the Nursing Foundations course she will be teaching in this fall in clinical for the unit on: “Rest and Sleep.” This article will make the lesson more realistic for the students. “Bringing in information like this means that you really need to know your course outline,” cautions Patterson. “When does the unit come up on the calendar? Timing is so critical,” she stresses.
Finally, know that you can learn from your students. “Listen to your students’ feedback,” encourages Gardner. Students have a first-hand look at what you are doing in the classroom, and “they are great at telling you your strengths and giving you ideas about where you can improve,” she says.
Relationships Count
As you work to improve your performance in the classroom, you do need to make sure you’re fitting in on campus with faculty and students. All of these relationships work together to make sure you’re setting you and your students up for success.
“Students need to know boundaries and have expectations set,” says Patterson. “I’m up front and tell them that there are rigors up ahead, but I look for ways to give them hope, and I don’t change the rules mid-way through.” It’s tough for students to adapt to changes or to have a faculty member not follow her own rules. It’s important to work to maintain a healthy student/teacher relationship. “I’m clearly not their friend,” says Patterson. “How can someone who assigns grades be your pal?” she asks.
You can certainly gain respect without being a pal, our experts agree. “Students respect faculty who are transparent and consistent,” explains Nelson. “They need to know what to expect and that the rules won’t change.”
Nelson adds that not only do you have to adhere to “I’m your teacher, not your friend,” but also, “I’m your teacher, not your nurse.” Nelson is a nurse practitioner so students come to her with an array of maladies. “I refer them to school health services or other appropriate resources,” she says.
Avoiding crossing the “friend” boundary can be a challenge. “In my first year, I was only a few years older that my students, and I shared many similarities and interests. I had to set boundaries,” says Nelson. “Definitely limit your personal association with students both in person and regarding social media interactions in order to maintain professional boundaries,” she advises.
Boundaries work both ways, and it’s important not to share personal time with students. “Even after clinicals, student may get together and ask the instructor to go along. Don’t go. Students need their own downtime, and the instructor needs time to replenish also,” Patterson says.
All of our experts cautioned new faculty on the use of social media. “Friending” students on Facebook is generally not a good idea, nor is discussing a student situation (even anonymously). “There are serious legal implications, and it is not professional,” warns Patterson. We all need to remember that what we write electronically stays forever.
Relationships can change once students graduate. “I have students who contact me after graduation– students I really connected with. When I respond back to them I tell them, ‘Now you’re my colleague; I’m no longer Professor Patterson. Please call me Carol.” It’s a wonderful rite of passage for them!” says Patterson.
On the faculty side, new faculty members realize quickly that to gain respect they have to be engaged in the campus community. “Always remember that your class is really the nursing program’s class,” reminds Nelson. “By keeping the big picture and student outcomes in mind, you’ll get a better perspective,” she adds.
“Your colleagues want you to be successful,” assures Nelson, “but you and your colleagues will sometimes have ideas that won’t be in agreement. Keep a positive attitude; be open to change; be flexible; and be willing to help out,” advises Nelson.
You will be evaluated in your first year, so you’ll need to “accept constructive criticism and be able to make changes,” says Nelson. “Not everything you try will work, and you’ll need to be comfortable with a certain degree of failure,” she says. Conversely, “don’t change for the sake of change. Have sound reasons for what you do…improving student outcomes exploring more effective learning styles would be valid reasons for change,” she confirms.
“Nursing faculty members tend to be invisible on campus, because we spend about half of our time off campus at clinicals. Other department faculty members don’t understand that type of schedule,” says Patterson. “It is important for us to be members of the campus society. Doing something campus-wide helps us grow in our roles,” she says. Stepping outside the nursing curriculum world helps the school out because we can provide our perspective, and it helps us learn more about the school. Being visible can put you on the road to tenure,” she points out. “Volunteering for the faculty senate provided me with a great opportunity,” says Gardner. “I learned so much about the school and myself!”
“Keep it simple during your first year,” cautions Patterson. “Attend more social events—art gallery openings, sporting events—get to know the school. Wait until your second year to jump in fully.”
Whether in department meetings or campus-wide meetings, “do not hesitate to share your ideas,” exclaims Gardner. “They may seem basic to you, but new points of view are the life-blood of nursing education and education in general,” she continues. “Know that it will take two years to feel like you know what you’re doing, but stay true to yourself. In the end you’ll be able to follow your path, and you’ll bring in a diversity that will help your students grow into their careers,” she concludes.
Contributors
Pamela Gardner, MSN, RN, graduated from Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts with a BSN and began her career in the Neonatal ICU at Johns Hopkins. She and her husband then moved to Missouri where she worked in Iowa as director of a community OB department. She received her MSN (maternal/child and education) from the University of Missouri in 2000. She taught at Missouri’s only public liberal arts and sciences institution, Truman State University, from 2000 – 2011. In 2008 she received the school’s Educator of the Year Award and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Higher Education. She joined Kaplan full time in 2010 as a Nursing School Consultant.
Teak E. Nelson, PhD, RN, NP-C, graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia with a BSN; received her MS in Community Health Nursing from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and her PhD from the University of Missouri, Columbia. She is currently an Associate Professor of Nursing at Truman State University where her teaching emphasis is pharmacology, nutrition, and pediatric nursing; her research emphasis areas are breastfeeding and weaning decision-making, simulation, and service learning. She has worked in OB, Pediatrics, Med-Surg, Women’s Health and Primary Care.
Carol Patterson, MSN, RN, CNE, graduated with an AAS/RN from Middlesex County College, Jersey City, NJ, and later received her BSN from Jersey City State College. She began her teaching career at the Charles E Gregory School of Nursing at the Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, NJ. She received her MSN from Seton Hall University in 1985, and her Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from Rutgers University in 2003. She has been an associate professor at Raritan Valley Community College since 1990 and has served as the Coordinator of Foundations in Nursing and the Coordinator of the PN to RN Option. She also worked per diem at the JFK Medical Center, Brain Trauma Center in Edison, NJ for 18 years. She received the NJ League for Nursing President’s Award in 1999, is a five-year recipient of Who’s Who among American Teachers in America, and in 2005 was awarded the American Nursing Association’s Electronic Media Award for “Professor Nightengale’s Test Taking Strategies for Nursing Students.” She is the 2012 President for the NJ League for Nursing.
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