Specifically, the subject of my interview would state unequivocally that the difficulty of being a nurse educator is today greater than it has ever been. I spoke at length with the Unit Nurse Educator in a local university hospital ward and learned a great deal about the specific daily challenges that come with the role.
First, she explained that one of the biggest challenges she faces every day concerns how best to channel and utilize the labor at her disposal. She explained that "our hospital, like a lot of other hospitals in the region, has been effected by a nursing shortage. Many of the people that work here must work long, hard hours, which has an effect on morale and on turnover. Because of this, one of the biggest challenges for me is teaching my nurses the skills to cope with these realities and to provide the best care possible in spite of them."
This would be an especially instructive statement, helping me to better understand the managerial implications of my second SMART goal. She would explain that in many ways, the objectives of teaching nurses the skills that they need and delegating their responsibilities are inextricable from one another. This means that as a Unit Nurse Educator, one must have an equally strong grounding in the theoretical dimensions of nursing, in the practical challenges of providing everyday treatment and, on top of these already considerable tasks, in the labor management conditions that come with this occupation.
As my interview subject explained, "in my experience, the best thing you can do to become an effective Unit Nurse Educator is to be a great nurse. In other words, you have to intimately and personally understand the pressures that young nurses or new nurses have to deal with. I know from my own experience...
If I want to get the most out of my nurses and if I want them to actually learn from their experiences, it's important for me to teach them to cope in this setting."
Here, as above, the interview subject would echo with more personal detail the findings provided in the literature consulted in the first section of the present discussion. That is, she highlighted many of the realities created by a healthcare system in a state of constant change and upheaval. The expectations of nurses are extremely high but many times, the consistency and clarity in pronouncing these expectations is low. Especially in the face of major healthcare reform, some hospital administrators are still hazy to remain in compliance with changing legislation. This makes the job of the nurse educator especially difficult.
Conclusion:
However, both the literature and the interview provide a great deal of illumination as I push through these challenges. In particular, they reinforce my belief that the nurse educator is in a special position to provide nurses with the skills and knowledge to survive and even flourish in their profession.
Works Cited:
Kramer, M., Schmalenberg, C., Maguire, P., Brewer, B., Burke, R., Chmielewski, L., Meeks-Sjostrom, D. (2009). Walk the talk: Promoting control of nursing practice and a patient-centered culture. Critical Care Nurse, 29(3), 77-93.
Motacki, K., & Burke, K. (2011). Nursing delegation and management of patient care. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
Parker, V., Giles, M., & Higgins, I. (2009). Challenges confronting clinicians in acute care. Journal of Nursing Management, 17(6), 667-78.
