- image via Wikipedia
By Kinsey Morgan, RN. Kinsey is a new nurse who lives in Texas and currently works in the ICU in which she formerly spent three years as a CNA.
In nursing school, there is a growing push to educate future nurses on the amazing breadth of roles within the nursing profession. As a student, you are in some way exposed to the role of nurse as leader, advocate, healer, educator, team player, and researcher. Even this list is not exhaustive. These roles are certainly vital and important and worth teaching about in school.
As a brand new nurse, I haven’t personally encountered all of these roles yet, but there is one in particular that I encounter—and embody—every day: that of educator.
One of the most humbling realizations I’ve had since recently becoming a nurse is that I am now the educator. I’m glad to know that there are other nurses around me, as well as many resources from which to glean knowledge, but I am daily faced with the fact that people now look to me for answers. There are times when I feel outside myself, for while I give correct answers, hearing myself giving them is a little surreal. I’m sure these feelings subside with time, but I hope that I always remain somewhat in awe of the amount of trust my title elicits.
Humbleness is a great quality and knowing what you don’t know is also a great quality. Learning where and who to gather correct information and the proper delivery of that information is also critical. It isn’ always the nurse who has been there many years. I’v been given wrong answer using that method and found it a poor method. Finding a good mentor (someone who continuously studies and researches are usually the best mentors), and your own research in your field is also important. Finally, teaching what you do know reinforces your knowledge base and gives to those in need of the information (primarily the patients and their families.) Remember, they do trust you, You carry the prestigious title, RN. It just maybe the only time they are given that information. Your on your way to being a good nurse with good ethics.
A meaningful insight, that believe it or not, you’ve been preparing for since your first clinical day. Remember all the prep you did as a student before taking care of your patients? Well, it was all sinking in, and now you and your patients are benefiting. Good for you! Carry on the good and noble work of nursing. A retired nurse educator
Thanks for this wonderful post Kinsey, I see no chance of you ever loosing the awe in the trust our title elicits 🙂
Absolutely love this post. Nurses should realize that they’re also educators and take pride in that profession. Without them, health care issues remain a problem, so it’s crucial that nurses understand the role they play at large. Thanks for sharing!