Nurse Educator Goals

Nursing ethics addresses issues related to the character of the nurse as well as the behavior of a professional nurse (Crigger & Godfrey, 2011). “Nurse Educators’ goals are to educate nurses to grow beyond sufficiency and safety to become good or excellent”
(p. 36). It is never the goal of an educator to develop professionals devoid of ethical behavior. Rather, the goal of ethics education in nursing is to provide nurses with valuable tools with which to apply when dealing with ethical situations (Dahnke, 2009). A common core in nursing is to consider what it means to care for the sick, what is both good for patients and in their best interests, and how to balance this with the needs of others (Scott, 1996). Crigger and Godfrey (2011) said it best:

Professional nurses, if only understood from a social perspective, become empty uniforms whose value is placed in what they do rather than who they are. Therefore, it is crucial that nursing education address individual character development as fundamental for meeting both personal and social expectations of the professional nurse. (p. xiii)

In addition, Crigger and Godfrey noted “Character is a part of an individual’s psychological self that is developed through a lifelong process to the extent to which the individual is capable” (p. 9). From this statement, the authors clearly felt that providing continual guidance to individual students can develop good character. The authors offered this idea based on the beliefs of Aristotle and his claim that ethics can be taught (Crigger & Godfrey, 2011). Nursing, when seen in a positive light, compels the nurse to not just know but also to do the right thing for patients (Packard & Ferrara, 1988).

I take this nurse educator goal of educating nurses to be their very best seriously.  I always say to my junior level students, “It is now time to move from good to great”.  In saying these words, I am challenging them to move out of their comfort zone of performing “tasks” and move into a more holistic, reflective practice place for their patients.  I strive for them to think critically and make the best decisions related to nursing practice and ethics of which they are capable.  I tell my students that I have absolutely no interest in developing mediocre nurses.  My goal is to develop their greatness.  Part of this greatness will be their character development that influences who they become as future practitioners.  I believe that we, as nursing educators, need to develop nurses who can hold their own in task, mind, and character for their patients. 

I am interested if other nurse educators feel this same way and hold similar beliefs.  How do you, as a nurse educator, develop your students in an attempt to to move them from “good to great”?

References

Crigger, N., & Godfrey, N. (2011). The making of nurse professionals: A transformational approach. Sudbury, MA. Jones and Bartlett Learning.

Dahnke, M. D. (2009). The role of the American Nurses Association Code in Ethical Decision Making. Holistic Nursing Practice, 23(2), 112-119.

Packard, J. S., & Ferrara, M. (1988). In search of the moral foundation of nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 10(4), 60-71.

Scott, P. A. (1996). Ethics education and nursing practice. Nursing Ethics, 3(1), 53-63.