A nurse educator’s experience influencing future nurses
There is so much power in nursing. As the single largest cohort in health care, registered professional nurses (RNs) have the power to inspire, innovate and influence the populations we serve. Nurses are considered trustworthy, honest, resourceful, and innovative. Nursing continues to be an indemand and highly trusted profession. RNs improve lives by educating diverse populations and future generations to live safe and healthy lifestyles. Nurse educators similarly influence nursing students to maintain and promote health and prevent illness while ministering to those who require care.
Nurse educators are in a unique position to shape the future of nursing by educating and serving as role models to future nurses, often exposing them to professional practice opportunities in different capacities and unique settings. As health care has moved beyond hospitals, nursing homes, schools, physicians’ practices, and clinics, nurses are increasingly delivering care in patients’ homes, senior communities, 24/7 ambulatory care centers, information technology usability experiments, large pharmacy chains, and even wholesale stores. This growth in practice opportunities and the demand for nurses has increased the focus on nursing education as an important nursing specialty, with the equivalent need for more nurse educators. It is important to have nurse leaders who are proactive, transformational and appreciate the relevance of incorporating specialties, such as nursing informatics into their leadership skill set. This is integral in helping develop, mentor and transform practicing nurses to reach the pinnacle of their professional aspirations.
There are many subspecialties in nursing that challenge the 21st century RN. In many university programs, students acquire an appreciation and knowledge of the nursing informatics subspecialty whose concepts can be used to transition them into resilient, visionary, and effective nurse leaders. When teaching nursing informatics, nurse educators demonstrate to students how the use of data, information and knowledge can be applied to the ultimate nursing goal of safe, quality patient care.
When learning nursing informatics, nursing students—such as those at Adelphi University’s College of Nursing—should be challenged to critically analyze current health care systems and processes, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement by applying learned concepts. When nurse educators introduce real-life examples of healthcare innovations and remind students that nurses need to be involved when system applications and programs are being developed, any fears and apprehension often transpose to excitement and enthusiasm. Students feel empowered knowing that they have the knowledge to recommend and influence innovations that can truly be helpful in improving practice and delivering safe, quality care. Some examples of projects that Adelphi’s nursing informatics students conceptualized include: a diabetes web portal where patients can receive customized guidance from their health care provider in terms of exercise, diet, and medications depending on the daily electronic transmittal of the patients’ blood glucose testing; a prompted telephone call to a forgetful patient when medications are not taken from the pill box at the specified time using an algorithm that can push an unanswered call to a nurse, a family member or 911; and an electronic checklist of pre-operative “essentials” conducted by phone the day before a scheduled surgery to minimize postponements because of a missed item in the checklist.
Nurse educators encourage students to think creatively. This nurse educator often asks his students to, “Think out of the box. Imagine how nursing will look ten years from now. Think of the most outrageous and unthinkable ideas.” After all, did we ever imagine the impact Facebook, Twitter, and Google would have during their humble beginnings?
The world now has Sophia, a robot created by Hanson Robotics that recently became the first robot citizen of Saudi Arabia. It is very human-like and can smile, laugh, and carry on a conversation. China has developed robots to help with delivering files, medical records, and pills to nursing stations in Bangkok hospitals because of a shortage of nursing staff. The developers claim these robots are not meant to replace nurses, but to assist with their workload. When students are informed that more robots will be forthcoming, they question any robot’s ability to inspire, innovate and influence. Artificial intelligence might be evolving in leaps and bounds, but the compassion, emotional, and persuasive elements provided by nurses cannot be simulated. Adelphi nursing informatics students are unanimous in their conclusion that robots might increase in numbers, but they will never be able to have a human nurse’s ethos, pathos, and logos.
The use of evidence and research are integral in studying nursing informatics. Learning research lingo is like learning a foreign language to undergraduate students. By using examples that are relatable and jazzing up lectures and discussions with interactive games, nurse educators can assist students in comprehending the terminologies used in the research process. Adelphi nursing students are encouraged to participate in an annual university research conference by submitting either a poster or podium presentation. This year, the nursing students picked very interesting and relevant topics, including “Injection Rejection: The Nurse’s Role in Easing Pain Associated with Immunizations,” “Intimate Partner Violence: To Ask or Not To Ask,” and “Many Countries Use ”Kangaroo Care” (skin to skin mother to baby care): Why Not the U.S.?”
Nurse educators need to mentor students on what it takes to produce rigorous, well-thought-out research for submission. Once students see that a nurse educator is invested in their projects, they become inspired to work harder. Being a role model is important. Nurse educators should share examples of their publications, poster and podium presentations and other accomplishments.
Education is a very fulfilling career, more so when your students are inspired towards excellence, motivated to suggest innovative interventions, and encouraged to function optimally. All this for the good of the patient, as well as the profession of nursing.
— Edmund J.Y. Pajarillo, PhD, RN, CPHQ, NEA BC, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Public Health,
Adelphi University