Know, don’t know, no.
In the second edition of Skyscape’s Fellows Advisory Network nursing newsletter, Dr. Renee McLeod talked about the importance of self-care. As nurses, we know how important it is to teach patients to take care of themselves. Sometimes it’s harder to remember to take care of ourselves, yet we know that nurses who practice self-care are less likely to burn out, and much more likely to live fulfilled and productive lives than those who do not.
How can we apply the same principles of self-care to our roles as faculty?
Have you ever stopped and “taken your temperature” as a faculty member? Are you healthy, and engaging in ongoing health promotion to keep yourself strong and energized as a facilitator of learning? Or do you find yourself with mild flu-like symptoms, a little achy and feverish when you think of all that needs to be done? Or perhaps you’ve already pulled the covers over your head and are waiting to feel better as the changing world of nursing education swirls around you?
Faculty self-care takes place in three domains: growing what you know, learning what you don’t know, and being comfortable saying no.
Growing what you know means enhancing your area of specialty as an educator. This does not mean becoming complacent with what or how you teach. It means energizing yourself with the newest evidence-based information and creating ways to turn it into meaningful learning experiences for students. What better way to practice self-care as a faculty member than to keep deepening your knowledge of what you teach? Reading current journals, attending conferences and regularly visiting clinical sites keep you clinically relevant. When you are plugged into current nursing practice, your ability to teach today’s standard of care increases exponentially, and so does your self-confidence and the confidence of the learners in your care.
Knowing what you don’t know is just as important
No one can know everything. Although nurse faculty may teach several courses, some always feel more natural to teach given your clinical expertise, and others are more challenging.
Challenge yourself to move outside your comfort zone and develop knowledge of the topics that challenge you most.
- Talk openly with your dean or director about your willingness to grow
- Ask to attend a conference in another specialty
- Request to shadow nurses in other specialties
Evidence shows that students preparing for the NCLEX often gravitate to material they already know, because it reassures them that they have mastered some topics. They are less likely to immerse themselves in areas where they need growth, because that territory is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Educators are no different: it is easy to settle into what we know, yet most of our growth comes when we push outside our comfort zones. And don’t limit yourself to nursing content.
Challenge yourself to become a better educator by:
- Attending conferences specifically about nursing education
- Taking a class to strengthen your teaching
- Asking for peer reviews of your classroom and clinical teaching
- Inviting faculty from other disciplines for a purely pedagogical review
Evidence shows that peer learning is just as effective as classroom learning. Make use of it!
Finally, recognize that you are one person
You cannot do it all in one day. There is freedom in learning to say “no.” Stop qualifying those no’s with a reason. Simply ask whether an activity is helping you grow as an educator or causing strife, and say no to the things that distract you from becoming a better educator.
Give yourself regular, periodic doses of ongoing education so you can process the change and growth in your teaching. Give yourself time. Practice self-compassion. Grant yourself the same grace you give students when they are learning. Honing your abilities as an educator is an organic, evolutionary process that happens every day you prepare for, or set foot in, a classroom or clinical setting.
Proper self-care as an educator will help you go the distance and enjoy the many rewarding moments that teaching nurses brings. And remember: know, don’t know, no.