I don’t think there are many people who would disagree when I say that being a nurse is one of the toughest jobs there is today. In the face of a worldwide nursing shortage, nearly a third of nurses in a recent McKinsey survey reported considering leaving their direct patient care role within a year. A separate survey by a nurse staffing company also found 30% considering change, but in this case, leaving the profession altogether.
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Nurse learners who pass the Next Generation NCLEX nurse licensing examination, thereby demonstrating minimal competence, earn the title of Registered Nurse and are then supposed to be able to manage the complexities of patient care. Sometimes, they encounter challenges when transitioning to the demanding realities of clinical practice. They’ve accumulated vast amounts of theoretical knowledge, but are struggling to translate that to even everyday situations, let alone life-or-death ones requiring critical thinking and judgment skills.
In recent years, there has been a growing sentiment among nurses that they want to spend more time teaching and mentoring their fellow nurses and nurse learners. According to the McKinsey research, they’re only spending an average of 2 percent of their shift on teaching peers and students but would like to double that time.
I’m not talking about full-time nurse educators, but full-time practicing nurses wanting to teach other nurses and students. It’s a real honor to be a nurse preceptor, guiding learners and other new nurses during their clinical rotations, but it’s also hugely challenging in terms of overseeing and mentoring individuals who are new to the profession. Due to the nursing shortage, recent graduates may even be pushed into a preceptor role within a few months, while they’re still in learning mode and in need of a strong preceptor themselves.
So why do overburdened shoulders want to assume that additional responsibility? There are many reasons nurses want to teach other nurses. Here are seven benefits enjoyed by both those who teach, and those who learn.
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1. Improving patient outcomes
According to the same McKinsey report, “Peer-to-peer teaching is an important component of building workplace cohesiveness, improving patient outcomes, and preparing new generations of nurses.” When nurses teach, they reinforce their own knowledge, clarify concepts, and solidify their understanding of best practices. This increased mastery of the subject matter directly impacts their ability to provide competent and confident care, positively influencing patient outcomes.
2. Sharing knowledge
Teaching among nurses enables experienced nurses to share best practices and up-to-date knowledge with their peers, ensuring the delivery of high-quality and evidence-based care. Through teaching, nurses enhance their own understanding, refine their communication skills, and deepen their expertise.
3. Enhancing clinical judgment skills
Through teaching, nurses develop the ability to analyze complex information and convey it effectively. This process hones their critical thinking abilities and their clinical judgment skills, an iterative decision-making process where nurses observe and assess clinical situations, prioritize client needs, and generate evidence-based solutions to provide safe client care — a key component to passing the Next Gen NCLEX. A 2021 study found that clinical learning using peer learning methods can directly improve multiple aspects of student competency achievement.
4. Gaining confidence through emotional support
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing found this year that about 100,000 registered nurses in the U.S. have left the workplace due to pandemic-related stresses. When nurses teach other nurses and nurse learners, they can offer emotional support as well as clinical knowledge to alleviate burnout. Discussing troubles with a safe party can make both parties feel less alone, and help with processing emotional burdens and feelings of inadequacy. I distinctly remember driving to work my first year as a nurse with my hands gripping the steering wheel, praying that I would be able to care for my patients properly and without causing harm. Confidence is one of the qualities that new nurses and nurse learners can build through contact with more experienced nurses.
5. Providing a collaborative environment
Teaching encourages nurses to work together, exchange ideas, and engage in open dialogue. It also creates a platform for mentorship, where experienced nurses provide guidance and support to their colleagues. Teaching facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration, allowing different healthcare professionals to learn from one another. Multiple studies have shown that these positive interactions have important effects on job satisfaction within healthcare settings.
6. Building leadership/mentorship abilities
Nurses who share their knowledge serve as role models, sharing experiences and best practices. Through teaching, nurses gain confidence, advocate for patients, and contribute to teamwork and collaboration. Building leadership abilities through teaching extends beyond the classroom, empowering nurses to take on leadership roles in various aspects of their practice. This benefits the leader but also benefits the nurse or nurse learner because they now have someone to pattern themselves on.
7. Cultivating a culture of lifelong learning
Teaching reinforces the value of continuous improvement and professional development. Through teaching, nurses deepen their understanding and stay updated on the latest research and practices. It fosters curiosity, prompting nurses to seek out learning opportunities and stay at the forefront of their field. Moreover, teaching inspires a collective commitment to ongoing learning, elevating the nursing profession and improving patient care outcomes.
Virtual and in-person learning
The decision to leave the nursing profession is a complex one for most people, involving multiple factors such as work-life balance, types of tasks, administrative responsibilities, physical security, compensation, etc. in addition to training opportunities. The shortage we’re experiencing is not only among those providing direct patient care, but also among nursing school faculty and preceptors — which, as a result, is putting an extreme squeeze on the availability of clinical placements.
Within some nursing colleges, forward-thinking administrators are looking to technology solutions to address the gap in clinical site experiences. Simulations using programmable manikins or immersive virtual reality scenarios can offer nurse learners customizable, structured opportunities to practice honing their skills in a safe environment where they can make mistakes and learn without the potential of adverse consequences to real patients.
But whether in live situations or virtual ones, nurses are making it clear they want more time for helping each other develop professionally. Perhaps in allocating more time for nurse-to-nurse education and training opportunities, which have so many additional benefits, it might encourage nurses on the fence to stay in the profession.
Photo: Hiraman, Getty Images
Christine Vogel, MSN, RN, CHSE, CHSOS, is a lead nurse educator at UbiSim , where her passion for innovation in nursing education drives her to design, pilot, and evaluate evidence-based immersive virtual reality (VR) simulations for nurse learners. With a distinguished career that extends over 25 years in nursing, including more than a decade dedicated to academic roles, her work is inspired by a commitment to enhance the educational journey of nurse learners and improve patient care.
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