Nurse Educators and Researchers
Provide clinical and theoretical education to nurses and Midwives, promote professional development, and conduct research into nursing practices.
A training day that nearly did not happen
You are a nurse educator at a regional hospital, running a skills day for twelve new graduate nurses. It is Monday at 8am. Twelve graduates are meant to be in your room at 8:30. The wards are very short today, and you can already see your phone filling with messages.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I know it is your training day, but I have three nurses off sick. Could I keep my two graduates on the ward today? You can catch them up later in the month. Patients come first.
Agree, because the patients on her ward clearly need nurses today
Sandra is relieved, but the two graduates miss the day and the next session is not for weeks. They feel a little behind for a while, and the pattern repeats next month.
Refuse, because the day is booked and the graduates are supposed to be released
Sandra goes quiet and you win the argument, but the ward is unsafe for the morning and the relationship takes a long time to repair. Rules matter, and so do the people who run the wards.
Offer to release one graduate and give her the other's session on the ward later that week
Sandra keeps enough staff to feel safe, and both graduates get the training. It is not perfect, but both sides gave something. Educators spend a lot of time finding workable middles.
Can I ask you something quietly? I made a mistake on my shift last week. Nobody noticed and nothing bad happened, but I keep thinking about it. I am afraid I will get in trouble if I say.
Thank him for telling you and help him report it through the right channel
Liang is anxious but relieved. The report goes in, the ward learns something, and he sees that speaking up is safer than staying silent. Teaching is also about building trust.
Tell him not to worry, since nothing bad happened and the best thing is to move on and forget it
He feels better for a day. But the system never learns, and the next nurse may make the same mistake. You have also shown him that some mistakes are best hidden.
Say you will have to pass it on, and tell his manager yourself that afternoon
The right people hear about it, but Liang feels ambushed and says nothing to you again. Telling the truth matters, and so does letting people do it in their own way.
Your audit shows the new falls checklist is not reducing falls on the ward I championed. I'd like you to present it at Thursday's executive meeting, but I'm worried how it will look for me.
Present the results clearly, say what you think may be going wrong, and suggest how to test a fix
The results are honest and the room listens. But because you gave no sense of why, the executive team mostly wonders who is to blame. Data needs a story to land well.
Show only the parts of the audit that look good, and leave the rest for another time
The meeting goes smoothly, but the problem remains. A month later another ward's audit says the same thing and the gap in your presentation is noticed.
Share the full results with her first, talk through what they mean, then present them together
Helen is disappointed but not blindsided. She stands beside you on Thursday, and the executive team agrees to try a different approach. Good research needs honest results and good relationships.
How it went
The training day ran, a mistake was reported, and a difficult audit was shared fairly. Nurse educators and researchers work behind the scenes, helping other nurses get better and checking what really works. It asks for patience, honesty and a talent for explaining. Does helping others do their job well appeal to you?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The same mistake, three months running
A fictional case set in the education unit of a fictional regional hospital, working with wards and new graduate nurses.
The situation
Tendai was a nurse educator at a regional hospital. When he read through the incident reports, he noticed that new graduates on two wards were making the same small slip when they took over a patient's care at handover. Each case was minor and each had been put down to inexperience. Nobody had joined the dots, and the ward managers were busy. Tendai had a full teaching calendar and no spare time.
What they did
Tendai sat in on handovers on both wards for a week and saw that the handover sheet was laid out in a confusing way. He asked the graduates what they found hard, rather than telling them what they had done wrong. With two experienced nurses, he redesigned the sheet and ran a short, practical session. They tested it on one ward for a month before asking other wards to adopt it.
How it turned out
The same slip appeared less often, and graduates said they felt more confident at handover. A few senior nurses found the new sheet annoying at first and said so, and Tendai changed two things in response. The ward managers asked him to look at orientation for the whole hospital next.
What would you do?
- What do you think is the difference between blaming a new nurse and understanding why they slipped?
- Would you enjoy sitting in the background and watching how work really happens?
- How would you handle a senior nurse who does not like your change?