I've been working a couple of weeks, but still not sure of what I need to do. I have done a needs assessment of my different nursing units, but now wonder how do I get these great ideas for learning realized. Also, just found out that I will be the administrator for the learning management system (LMS) at my facility. This is a big job with a lot of responsibility. I have to make sure that staff keeps up to date on all online learning, plus develop classes for others that can be put on the LMS. Finally, I am in charge of the preceptor program. I have to teach the New Preceptor class and make sure all of the preceptors are doing the required learning updates every two years.
So I guess I know what I need to do now.
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I took over the clinical educators position in the Emergency Department(ED) after the position had been vacant for 4 years. Talk about not knowing where to start. I basically had to re-create the position. Do not fear I am here to attest it can be done. Your best friend will be a thumb drive and organization :-) .
April,
DeleteCongratulations on your promotion!! I'm sure the department is lucky to have you!!! While you might be hesitant and nervous, I'm sure you're heading in the right direction, and that the staff appreciates having you there!!!
April, great job with stepping into a position that had been vacant for 4 years. Wow! I wouldn't have known where to start. I hope you had support from peers and supervisors.
DeleteCongrats! I have to admit, I'm a little afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone into a teaching role and having so many people look to me for information. I'm hoping when that time comes, I will just do it.
DeleteLeanne,
ReplyDeleteThat is great! I took the position as the Education Coordinator of my facility approximately 3 years ago after the position had been vacant for a year. I had figure things out as I went. I am sure you were chosen for this position because you are detailed, organized, and love to teach! I am sure you will do an awesome job! They have since changed the title for my position to the Director of Education and there are still days I need to phone a friend!
Best of luck to you in your new role!
I agree! Best of luck!
DeleteLeanne:
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts are mine exactly. I love my three 12 hour shifts each week, and I dread having to switch over to 8 hour shifts, however, I know it will all be worth it. It is tough I think for most new educators, as it seems it most facilities that I've worked in, the position has to be created from scratch. I've noticed that usually there is no one to "precept" you, and you have to redesign the entire program and department. Kudos to you and everyone else beginning this journey. I'm sure you'll do better than you think. Most likely you seemed stressed because you are placing an enormous amount of effort, and maybe more than some areas require to make this a great position and to make yourself a fantastic educator!
Jodi,
DeleteI was like you and went from 12 hour shifts to 8-10 hour days 5 days a week. It is much more of a committment then you realize when you accept a position like educator or in leadership.
Sue Matson
You know what is funny is that I used to work five 8-hour shifts a week back when I first started in the 1989. When I went to 12-hour shifts in 1991 I thought I was going to die. Now I think about those four days off a week I used to get, but having Christmas off was awesome.
DeleteLeanne that is exciting that you have a new journey ahead! I am sure it will be an adjustment to switch to working Monday-Friday but you will soon figure out your routine. Like all change; change in general is hard but it will be rewarding! Think of the impact you will be able to make in your staff's lives.
ReplyDeleteSarah is right, you will be making a difference on the units that you are working with and you are the perfect person for the job with 25 years of bedside experience.
DeleteLeanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your job(s)! This is a transition period and once you learn what is expected, it will won't be as stressful. Surround yourself with positive people and an excellent resource team.
Melissa, I agree with you. I think that being in grad school puts all of us in a transition period. We can be the resource team that you mentioned for each other.
DeleteLeanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your position! You will fall into a rhythm soon. Melissa is right, find people you trust and can ask for advice. You will start with a few individuals but as you network that list of names will get larger. It makes it much easier when you know who to contact for any questions.
Sue Matson
Suzanne,
DeleteYou are exactly right. Finding your resource people is invaluable!
Dawn
Suzanne,
DeleteI think your words were quite encouraging and I believe as long as she has some good mentors and a network of those who can help, it will make the transition that much easier.
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteLee (2013) stated that there are six components to consider when creating a blog: context, audience, purpose, channel, noise, and feedback. Intended messages that participants send to each other should be clear. These messages could be distorted due to participants’ beliefs, feeling, and attitudes. According to Lee (2013), “Evidence-based writing calls for a clear and credible presentation of the writer’s claims and evidence to the target audience” (p. 246). Do you think your presentation was credible and clear?
Gunelius (n. d.) stated that the use of white is typically considered to be a symbol of purity and cleanliness. The use of brown can evoke feelings of durability. The author stated that it could also be perceived as dirty, and that caution should be taken when using it. Do you think these are the emotions/feelings you are trying to convey? It was hard for me to tell if the main color was off white or light brown, so I included both.
Culbertson (2011) stated that an effective blog has content that is compelling and causes the reader to take action in some way. Do you think that your blog will cause the reader to take action?
Congrats on your job! Thank you for your post.
. References
Culbertson, M. (2011). Five ways to critique your blog. Retrieved from http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/five-ways-to-critique-your-blog/
Gunelius, S. (n. d.). The meanings of colors matter in web design. Retrieved from weblogs.about.com/od/blogdesign/tp/How-Color-Psychology-Affects-Blog-Design.htm
Lee, C. (2013). Teaching evidence-based writing using corporate blogs. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 56(3), 242-254. doi:10.1109/TPC.2013.2273117
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! You will love the 5 days a week, weekends and holidays off. I admit it was tough when I made the transition from (3) 12 hour shifts to fulltime, 5 days a week, but now, I don't think I could go back. You will figure out what to do; because you are a Nurse, and have critical thinking skills that will enable you to lead, manage and deliver information that will support your department and staff. Good luck to you.
Gayla, that schedule sounds like a dream! 12-hour shifts are so taxing! I have hope that one day I'll have a schedule where I can be with my family more.
DeleteLeanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your achievement. I currently work 4 days a week with weekends off and a cubical. I enjoy my patient interactions now and educating others on my unit. I always like to plan ahead and look at my near future and one day will have an office of my own and will remain educating students in clinical sites.
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations in your new role! It will be hard at first getting use to your new schedule but with time you will get use to it. You will start developing routines that will work for you. When I switched from bedside nursing to procedural nursing, it took awhile to adjust but it was worth it to be able to learn a different role!
Leticia
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new job! I know you will make it your own. When I was a manager, I worked many weeks over 40 hours. The thing that was so wonderful was the flexibility of those hours. Even if it was a 60 hour work week, it was often the 60 hours of my choice. Your blog is very comfortable, a great place for clinical educators to come share stories, frustrations, and ideas.
Hi Leanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!
Change is scary, but essential for personal and professional growth. I recently applied for a different job, which is now being offered to me...at the time, it seemed like a great idea; but now that I am faced with the task of making a final decision, I am struggling with the "what ifs". I applaud you for taking a leap of faith and pursuing your goal; I know it was not easy.
Best of lucks to you.
I've been in that position not too long ago. It would have been completely different than anything I've ever done ( to be a Liver Transplant Coordinator). What finally changed my mind was that it was not the education position I was ultimately looking for.
DeleteLeanne,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new position. I took a left turn from the unit 2 and 1/2 years ago, for a nursing education position, with an office and a Monday thru Friday too! I love the freedom it offers to flourish and use my creative innovations to develop courses. I am a certified mentor, and love to precept as well. If you ever need any tips or ideas let me know. Great start on your blog!
Kristen
Your comment about freedom for creation really hits home for me. That is probably what I like most about my hospital-based education job. I enjoy the freedom of being creative and developing all of my own education for the ER. It helps to have a really good relationship with, and trust of your director. I absolutely love my job.
DeleteThanks Kristen. Thanks everyone for the positive comments. I love my new career.
DeleteCongratulations. I too want an education position in either a hospital or a college. I already have the Mon-Fri 8;30- 5 job being in an outpatient dept. Your position is a real opportunity to shape the future. Just breath, assess, and plan.
ReplyDeleteI have no experience as an educator other than being a preceptor. I would like an educator position in a college or high school setting. How does one market themselves. I applied as a sub for a local high school.
DeleteSharon
Congrats on your new position! I will continue to closely follow this blog as I am hoping to obtain a job as a clinical instructor with one of the two nursing schools in my area once I have completed my MSN. Like you, I have always been a bedside nurse. More scary, I have only been a nurse for 4 years. How can I possibly know enough to be deemed competent to teach new nurses? This is a question I ask myself every time I precept someone in my hospital; and that is nowhere near as demanding a job as becoming a clinical instructor will be!
ReplyDeleteLeanne,
ReplyDeleteI was a bedside NICU nurse for 7 years and have just completed my first month of outpatient clinic nursing. No only have I never worked a monday-friday job, i was working nights for all of those years!!! I know how you feel, but it will be great! I like the lay out of your blog, and the color scheme is soothing. I wanted to comment on your first post but I couldn't seem to find a way to comment.
I somehow blocked it from comments. Whoops on my part.
DeleteI've worked night shift my entire career so far. I think about what it would be like to change, and I cannot even imagine it. I am sure you are feeling very exciting and nervous. This blog is a great way to express your anxiety and concerns while receiving feedback from classmates, friends, and family.
ReplyDeleteVery neat! As I am hoping to eventually get a job as a nurse educator I look forward to reading your experiences. It's nice that you can share some of your fears, as most people probably have similar ones and get feedback or as you said impart wisdom. Nice layout and color scheme.
ReplyDeleteKaylan, I also hope to be changing my career path to that of a nurse educator in the near future. Two nurses in the education department at the hospital where I work are planning on retiring during the same month I am projected to graduate from this program. I am excited with the prospect of landing one of the open positions, but at the same time I am very nervous. I agree that I can gain some wisdom and feedback from this blog.
DeleteI have been in my current job as clinical educator for just over one-year now. It would have been fantastic to have a resource that I could go to for information and support. In my case, it is in emergency nursing education. I had no one to follow, so I forged my own trail. There was (and is) a great deal or trial and error. My biggest question at the time was "what competencies do my nurses and techs need and which are required?". The answers are never readily available. A resource where new educators can go to chat with other clinical educators is a great idea for learning if you're on the right track or not. This is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteBryan, I feel the same way about having a resource to go to. Education preceptors are in short supply. I love the idea of having a place to bounce ideas off of each other and get support.
DeleteCongratulations! You will have to let us all know how the transition from 12hrs to 8hrs goes. Sounds like you are heading in the right direction if you have completed needs assessments for your units. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI am with you Laura I am curious to see how the transition from 12 hours to 8 hours is. I would think it would most likely be more enjoyable in a sense as personally I feel quite exhausted after 12 hour shifts.
DeleteVery nice blog site. I love the color and simplicity. I think that this blog has an audience for it and as long as you continue to focus on that audience I believe this blog could be very popular.
ReplyDeletecongratulations on the new promotion, I know that it can be hard to work Monday through Friday, but having weekends off is great. Best of luck to you!
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteBeing a clinical educator is scary and there is a lot of things to do. The transition to 5 days a week takes some times, but the 8 hour shifts are nice. Having weekends and holidays off as well is also a benefit. But I have found in my position as a clinical educator that getting out in just 8 hours is a slow day. Good luck to you and enjoy the ride.
Congrats on the new job. It does not take long to get used to the M-F 8-5. I found it to be a great work schedule when I started teaching several years ago. The transition to teaching can be scary at first, but soon you will develop your own style of teaching and things begin to fall into place. Sounds like you will have a lot of responsibility, but you can do it.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I had similar thoughts when I started my job as a nurse educator. I used data from the needs assessments to decide what I would address during our annual skills day/mock code and what I would put in annual competencies (computer based trainings). I addressed other topics as needed during staff meetings, rounding on the unit, and with bathroom banners/emails, etc. It's hard to keep up because of other responsibilities and meetings, but it gets so much easier after the first few months.
ReplyDeleteI have found that the longer I teach the easier it gets. You must get organized in the beginning that way you do not forget the things that do come up. I try to do the annual competencies early that way I do not have to worry about them the rest of the year. You might try that.
DeleteWow...congratulations! You definitely sound like you have your work cut out for you. I like Linda's advice...breathe, assess, and plan. Please keep us updated with what you are doing as an educator and give advice on what to do...and what not to do!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your new job, sometimes it will be rewarding, overwhelming, exhausting, fun, and sometimes just sheer joy. I started in the education department at our hospital 11 months ago, and occasionally I felt that I had made a mistake in accepting the position. Since I am a person who never quits the challenge was on and I am still running full speed ahead. Now, that they finally got a director and a couple of part time educators, we are growing this education department. I even have doctors that I have worked with before asking to assist nurses on understanding some of their procedure to take care of their patients better. Good luck it gets better.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your new position. After 25 years of nursing, I am sure you will find getting along with others will be the same.
ReplyDeleteSharon