Nursing education touches a myriad of lives each day. Let us continue to strive for nursing excellence as we carry out our vital roles related to the mind of a scholar, heart of a nurse and spirit of a leader...
Success
“To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty,to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. That is to have succeeded.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson Recently I watched the movie Dead Poets Society with Robin Williams. For those who are not familiar with this story, Williams plays the role of a creative and innovative faculty member John Keating at an institution of higher learning in England. Williams challenges the status quo and begins non-conventional strategies for learning including dancing with students outside the classroom, standing on a desk and ripping apart a book. He challenges the lecture and traditional form of instruction at the institution and engages students in active learning, critical thinking and questioning the essence of society. While he becomes controversial in the education community, Williams becomes cherished and beloved by his students and known for his caring, engagement and propensity to challenge issues, question the future and critically analyze the components of decisions. In essence, Williams touched the lives of each of his students in education and did so successfully in ways that his students would never forget him, his legacy and teachings. He truly touched the heart of every student in his class. I believe some of these challenges so vividly portrayed in this movie have meaning and significance for the nursing community as we embark upon the challenge of future education. We are engaged in a health care marathon which we have never experienced before in practice, education and society. This environment questions the very fabric of our being and embarks on a path of change to prepare nursing graduates to enter a health care environment of multitasking, complex patient needs, limited resources and increasing demands. The question becomes: How can we continue to deliver quality nursing education, meet the increasing demands for nursing graduates and prepare students for the health care marathon of today? I believe that our strategy must focus on a vision of nursing excellence. This document will describe a vision of excellence for nursing education related to the mind of a scholar, heart of a nurse and spirit of a leader. What is excellence? Excellence means striving to be the best you can be in everything you do. It results because a nurse can only imagine functioning in this way. Excellence involves setting high standards for nursing actions and the organizations in which one holds memberships. It is a passion for high standards and not being satisfied with less than the very best one can be. Excellent nurses promote growth, challenge the status quo and mentor others. Excellent nurses question the present and do not permit the current state of affairs to continue. Vince Lombardi, former coach of the Green Bay Packers, said that the quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his or her commitment to excellence regardless of the chosen occupation or profession. In essence, excellence must be a way of life in nursing education. Excellence in nursing education is exemplified by means of three vital roles. The first role is that of the mind of a scholar. According to Ernest Boyer (1990) “scholarship is at the heart of what the profession is all about.” This responsibility includes the discovery of new knowledge, integration of knowledge, application of scientific findings and teaching. We touch lives by means of our commitment to scientific inquiry, by actively engaging in nursing research and instilling a spirit of inquiry in our nursing students. It is this commitment to evidence based practice that is essential to touching lives of the future. This mind and way of thinking will compel the best nursing care in times of joy and sorrow, to challenge the present, ask reflective questions, question why and to propose creative changes to address contemporary issues. It is the faculty member who spends endless hours with students to help them integrate lab findings with patient symptoms, nursing interventions and optimal health outcomes. Or, the faculty member that takes valuable personal time to work with a student one on one when confusion exists. The scholar is committed to the success and development of each student to achieve optimum potential and facilitate learning in creative ways to meet the needs of diverse learners and learning styles. The commitment to scholarship is exemplified by the staff educator and staff nurse who question the physician’s orders when the data are in question and acts as a patient advocate. The mind of a scholar utilizes current research findings to educate patients and students in addition to influencing policy development. Our second major role in education is the caring component symbolized by the heart of a nurse. It is this role that allows us to significantly touch the lives of students, patients, community and society. This role encompasses the love of nursing, patients, the profession and furthermore giving that love freely to nurses, family, friends and patients. This love helps us support others and give of ourselves to our profession and professional organizations. The heart of the nurse demonstrates a love of knowledge and a commitment to lifelong learning. An Olympic coach once referred to this feeling as a fire in the heart for the profession. Throughout nursing history it has been this vital role that nurses do so well by sitting next to a patient near the time of death, comforting an elderly individual in a retirement community or sharing information with students in schools. How many times have nurses touched lives solely by answering the telephone and sharing knowledge with neighbors and friends about health conditions? Yes, we all do this and transfer our caring to others in times of need. The heart of a nurse mentors students, practicing nurses and colleagues in the health care delivery system. This heart touches the life of a new nurse by navigating the path into clinical practice and standing beside the new graduate during the time of transition and helps them succeed. The pulse of the nurse intuitively knows when students and patients need help and responds to the call in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, the community and nursing education programs each day. The spirit of a leader is the third role where nurses touch lives. In each situation we face, this spirit will guide us through difficult circumstances and serve as a beacon in practice. This spirit is composed of core values of courage and honor. It is these values that will guide our journey toward excellence. Courage is demonstrating risk taking behaviors and exploring controversial issues even at the risk of being unpopular. We must remember that it is more important to do the right thing than to carry out a task in the correct manner. This is the hallmark of a true leader. It is also the dissemination of new knowledge and scholarly works whether these products are publications, new clinical strategies, new teaching methods, innovative course materials or new models of practice. The second value related to spirit of the leader is that of honor. Honor refers to a code of integrity, dignity, respect and upright character. In the nursing profession it is our commitment to the ANA Code of Ethics and our professional standards of nursing practice. We teach students that honor is exemplified by means of high respect, esteem distinction and what is right. In summary, nursing education touches a myriad of lives each day. Let us continue to strive for nursing excellence as we carry out our vital roles related to the mind of a scholar, heart of a nurse and spirit of a leader. Touching lives requires the creative talents and energies of each nurse as well as collaboration with our professional nursing organization, the Tennessee Nurses’ Association. Let us respond to the changing health care marathon with enthusiasm and excitement knowing that we will continue to touch lives through our commitment to excellence and our collective spirit. Carpe Diem. The time is now! Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: priorities of the professoriate. Princeton: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Published in the Spring 2005 Tennessee Nurse©
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