Nursing the Nurse as Learner and Teacher

Nursing The Nurse as Learner and Teacher Nursing is truly a lifelong study. While in school, a future nurse learns the tactics and the theory of the profession, and while in practice, he or she learns the social part of the profession, including interaction with patients, and difficulties relating to the workplace, and how to solve the latter. Due to these reasons, nursing is not a "one track" career, and involves constant adaptation and learning.

Yet nurses are also teachers, and they fulfill that role every day, from the very first time that they step into the workplace. This paper will aim to present the nurse as both a learner and a teacher, and relate this to personal learning abilities. From a new graduate to chief nurse, an individual embarking upon this career may very well see it in stages, but what is certain is that a nurse is often found both in the role of a learner and a teacher.

One reason for this is that nurses come from different backgrounds, and therefore have different skill sets. This is, of course, a fantastic characteristic, and the differences between various nurses can make the workplace a very efficient, successful place. The nurse in the role of "learner" can signify a newly graduated individual, and one such person will often fulfill this role in the first years of his or her practice. When a nurse enters the work environment, the learning process continues just as it did in nursing school.

Learning opportunities in the work environment, as opposed to the theory-laden academic environment, will involve more practical interactions with patients, other nurses, human resources, and professionals at conferences, speaking engagements or presentations. The more a nurse "grows,: the more he or she will need to learn; thus, learning never ends and is a constant and dynamic process for nurses.

When one speaks about the role of the nurse as a "teacher," one will refer to the fact that a nurse will often be able to recall and teach the more technical aspects, such as technologies, to colleagues and superiors, while the latter group will often teach a new nurse how to care for and interact with patients. Therefore, from the very first day, even a new nurse can serve as a useful teacher, and can further this role at school or community speaking engagements.

The exchange of learning and teaching is thus a "two way street" and can benefit both nurses and their new colleagues, and proves that nurses can be both learners and teachers. Personally speaking, visual learning as well as hands-on learning is the best and most efficient way for me to learn. Visual, or spatial learning involves using picture or graphics, and this is most useful when speaking about anatomy. However, hands-on learning is also useful, especially when dealing with a particular problem regarding a patient, or another such practical problem.

In this way, by combining the two theories, it is easiest for me not only to learn but to remember both my mistakes and my.