Nurse Educator ---Enhancing Quality of Care and Quality of LifeAs a nurse educator, you have the means to effect positive change in the lives of others. Whether you are educating health care professionals, patients, or community participants, you can change lives. Become an Expert in a Given Area Start by sharing your knowledge and skills with other professionals through short inservices, group huddles or part of a workshop. Many nurses are generalists and could use extra help with certain areas. Let them experience the nurse educator in you. Mentor new nurses. They are often in need of organizational skills and practical application. Discuss the Evidence Based Practice behind your care and decisions.
I remember when I was studying for my CCRN. Although I certainly learned a lot from class and reading, my knowledge was solidified by discussing the pathophysiology that was affecting my patients with other critical care nurses. I was able to better apply my knowledge by sharing information with others and working with real life examples. It also made me a better nurse educator when I went on to giving critical care seminars. Start a WebsiteYou will gain a lot of credibility by having a website. Use your area of expertise to reach out to millions. Healthe care issues are very popular. As a nurse educator you can make a good living off a website that is done right. And you don’t have to pay a fortune or know a lot about building sites to do it. For information on a simple and effective way to build a great website: Qualifications Your RN title will give you sufficient clout with community health education. If you are a nurse educator of other health care professionals, it is better to have at least a BSN. A Masters Degree will take you even farther. It is your topic, level of expertise and how effective you are at getting useful information across that will matter the most. You can have all the right titles behind your name, but if you put people to sleep you’ll never make it. Take a Course Community colleges sometimes offer classes on workshop and seminar presentation. Join a speakers group or association and give presentations to members. That’s how I got started.
Obtain Nurse Continuing Education Certification Contact your State Board on Nursing for details on nursing ceus. You can also obtain certification in states that you are not licensed. You just have to meet their criteria for classes. Obtain Further Education in Your Area of Expertise You’ll get helpful tips and nuggets of information for you own presentation, as well as network with other nurses in your field. Begin With Community Health Education Community centers, libraries and community colleges are eager to have health educators give one day classes on common health issues. These usually include environmental, physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health. Your knowledge as a nurse educator is in high demand. Write up a proposal and present it to them. You will make little to no money but the risk is zero and you gain experience as well as a reputation as an expert on a topic. I once gave a Stress Management class at a community center and sold a relaxation tape for $5 each after the class. I didn’t make much money but it was great experience. Getting Braver? Move on to being one of several nurse educators at a seminar. If you’re really feeling brave, give your own seminar or workshop. The risk is high, as you will have to do all your marketing, pay for the conference room up front and be ready to give a dynamic presentation. If you’re a really good educator and have a great topic you can make a lot of money. Community Health Education It’s all about Prevention, Promotion and Restoration You can motivate people using whatever interests they may have in improving their quality of life. Show them the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and give them the tools to achieve their goals. Help them develop a sense of responsibility for health conditions for themselves as individuals, as members of families, and of communities. This not only teaches prevention and basic health knowledge, but also conditions them to reshape everyday habits of unhealthy lifestyles. There are many common health care issues that you can focus on. Nurse diabetic educator, back pain, foot care, heart health, etc. Plan Your Presentation Whether your audience is health professionals or lay people, your approach will be the same. The Nursing Process should be an important part of all your decisions.
Identify the Student’s Level of Education and Knowledge Just like you learned in nursing school, you have to assess your client. In order to meet the learning needs of your participants, you must know what level to reach them. You don’t want to talk over their heads or insult them with oversimplified or too basic of information. But just because your audience may be well educated, don’t assume they understand all your terminology. Present your information in a simple, easy to understand presentation. Define terminology that may confuse or intimidate them. Foster an environment of seeking clarification when needed. Gear your presentation toward Prevention, Promotion and Restoration. Overdeliver on their expectations. Your students will walk away with life changing knowledge. Offer Discounts on Resource Material or Other Services Write some of your own material, record the presentation for audio CDs, videotape for DVDs and have resource books available for sell on breaks or after the class. Also give out freebees with your website and contact information. If you have a website then by all means get it out there. Encourage the participants to check out the site for more information. Is there a related service you provide? Maybe coaching, massage therapy, workshops, etc. This can be a great source of revenue. Don’t, however, make it the primary focus of your presentation. Your audience will feel conned. They came to learn, not be sold. Good luck in your Nurse Educator ventures. Full time or part time, changing lives in a positive way can be a rewarding line of business. For more tips on building the nursing career of your dreams, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Nursing Career Tips---filled with nursing career advice, including loads of:
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