I can still remember the frustration of working in the hospital as a nurse without enough staff! It was difficult, stressful, and unsafe for the patient and me. I concluded at that time that this problem wasn’t new and there was nothing I could do about it, until a year ago, a flier caught my attention! It was encouraging nurses to go back to school and get their Master’s Degree in Education because nursing shortage in the health care is partly due to the faculty shortage. It was amazing that this flier got into my hands before going to the trash because this time, I felt that I could be part of the solutions by going back to school. I also feel that teaching will be a nice way to retire because as I’m getting older and the energy needed to keep up with the pace of working in the hospital is decreasing!
As a nurse and mother, I’m always educating my patients and my children. I have given talks about my country at the Brownsville Children Museum, Episcopal Day School and Pace High School. I have worked as a volunteer for Infant and Family Nutrition Agency at First United Methodist Church, educating mothers how to take care of themselves and their new babies at home. I also volunteered at Yturria elementary library and learned how to interact with young students and teachers. At my church, I teach children Sabbath School and sometimes give health talks to the adults. I often get compliments from the students and parents, and some have asked me if I’m a teacher! This gives me confidence to say that I have some teaching skills.
My learning goals for this course are:
1. Learn the knowledge and skills needed to be a competent nursing educator.
2. Be up to date with the usage of technology needed for teaching.
3. Grow socially by meeting new people and making new friends.
The flier that caught my attention has inspired me to face new challenges which will give me a unique opportunity to be part of the solutions of decreasing nursing shortage; a major health care crisis that I personally experienced.
