Exemplar

Facilitate Learning

This competency refers to an educator’s ability to impart knowledge to students as well

as help support them throughout their nursing school journey. A nurse educator must demonstrate

an ability to use a “variety of teaching strategies” in order to create “opportunities for learners to

develop their critical thinking and critical reasoning skills” (NLN, 2005). Furthermore, the nurse

educator must be a role model for a professional nurse in his/her words, actions, and behaviors.

Situation

I demonstrated this competency best while working with professor Brode during clinicals

at the hospital. Throughout the day we would meet up with students and discuss what they were

seeing in their patient rooms and the pathophysiology they might be seeing. For example, a

student questioned the importance of naming twins “A” and “B”. I was able to use my expertise

to discuss how twins are distinguished both in utero and at delivery, and the clinical significance

of baby A versus baby B. Another student that same day said a doctor had seen a large number of

patients getting iron in pregnancy and complaints of Braxton-Hicks contractions. We were able

to discuss a possible correlation between the two, including constipation and GI upset as possible

explanations for this occurrence. In these kinds of student conversations I often would try to ask

open-ended questions so as to allow the students opportunities to think critically and come up

with solutions on their own.

During these clinical days I also was demonstrating what a professional nurse should

look like, including interactions with peers. As a current employee at the hospital, I knew many
of the nurses working on the units and did my best to be positive not only about my job as a

nurse, but also my colleagues and the hospital organization.

The clinical days were a great change of pace from the days spent at the college during

my practicum, though they were quite long days. It was invaluable to see my preceptor navigate

the challenges of low census days and staffing issues, as well as less cooperative staff/patients.

My favorite parts of the day were helping students get to see something exciting or interesting,

like a cesarean delivery or a circumcision. These students would often come out of these

experiences grinning and anxious to share what they saw with their peers. The parts that were the

most challenging was trying to keep the students engaged towards the end of the day when

patient care was less active and they often had completed all of their required paperwork.

Significance

A subsection of this competency states that a nurse educator “shows enthusiasm for

teaching, learning, and nursing that inspires and motivates students” (NLN, 2005). On one of the

first clinical days I spoke about Meconium stained amniotic fluid with a student. Professor Brode

told me later that after I left the conversation the student remarked, “you can tell she really loves

it” in reference to my feelings about the maternal-newborn specialty. This interaction embodies

well the manner in which I met this competency. It also points out an important aspect of

teaching: a nurse educator will be much more likely to facilitate learning if honest passion is

conveyed.
 Reference

NLN (2005). Core competencies of nurse educators with task statements. National League for

Nursing.