Teacher...

No greater calling!

Module Three

What sort of teaching is done in your nursing role?

I teach on a daily basis in my current role. I am not a formal educator, but I seek out teacher opportunities. There are teaching moments all around us. I love teaching my patients, it is one of my favorite aspects of nursing. I teach patients about labor, fetal heart tones, breastfeeding (which can be so frustrating), their new babies and postpartum care. I use the same corny jokes and cheesy analogies but my patients seem to respond... and learn.

Is there any nursing role that does not involve teaching in some manner?

Teaching is ingrained in nursing. They are inter twined. Siamese twins of sorts. Every aspect of nursing requires teaching. Even if the nurse works behind the scenes (managers, case workers, informatics) they still teach. They teach administrators about what nurses need to do their jobs well, they teach fellow nurses about new technologies, they advocate for nurses by teaching others outside of healthcare about what we do. Teaching is vital to the advancement of the nursing profession! It is a shame that nursing educators are paid so little because their job has far greater value.