W2A1_Billings-Berg R R EDITED FOR FINAL SUBMISSION

However, being that a question asked in the assignment instruction is “what has brought you to this point?” I think it is befitting to take this opportunity to share some of my personal

Week Two Roles & Responsibilities Assignment Sarah M Billings-Berg, DC, MSN, RN, CNE

Touro University Nevada

Week Two Roles & Responsibilities Assignment The purpose of this week’s assignment is to discuss how this student has embraced the nurse educator role, consider challenges and successes of being a nurse educator, and present what this student loves about being a nurse and an educator This author will also discuss what has brought me to the point of wanting to further my education and obtain the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree As this assignment is requiring a great deal of self-reflection and

accounts of personal experience, it will be narrated from the first person perspective

Introduction: My Journey

I found it difficult to begin writing this paper and was not quite sure what approach to take to meet the assignment’s objectives However, being that a question asked in the assignment instruction is “what has brought you to this point?” I think it is befitting to take this opportunity

to share some of my personal story and journey that has led me to where I am today, an

Associate Professor of Nursing, newly tenured and promoted, and having recently earned the National League for Nursing (NLN) Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) credentials (NLN, n.d.)

In May 1999, I graduated for Norwich University having earned a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing degree The challenge was I did not want to be a nurse I was not sure what I wanted to be, but I knew I did not want to be a nurse Veterinarian, osteopath, chiropractor, medical doctor; all were viable pathways as long as I did not stay in nursing Nursing was merely

a stepping stone to facilitate my path to bigger and better things, or so I thought Over the

following five years, I was accepted to and completed chiropractic school, being awarded a Doctorate of Chiropractic degree in 2004 That was eleven years ago I have not practiced as a licensed chiropractor a day in my life How could this be? To understand the answer to that

question, one must understand the draw of nursing and its culture, that nursing is not just a profession, it becomes one's family

After graduating nursing school and throughout chiropractic school, I had little choice but

to work as a nurse to make enough money to support myself For the first few years, I dreaded going to work I felt incompetent, overwhelmed and scared However, over time those feelings dissipated a bit It took years for me to feel competent, but gradually I became more accepting and excited about my job I realized that I was good at it and that I made a difference in

individuals’ lives Eventually, and after years of working at different facilities, moving several times, and being a travel nurse, I could honestly say that I loved my job and that nursing was exactly where I should be That point in my nursing career was also the time that I had settled down back in Vermont and had been working on med/surg at a small community hospital for a couple of years Suddenly I found myself in a position where I was the expert, I was the nurse that oriented new hires, and I was the “go to” nurse when peers had questions Making this realization and enjoying the preceptor role, I began my journey in becoming a nurse educator Within two years, I had earned a Master’s of Science in Nursing and was hired into a tenure-track position as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Vermont Technical College That was

2009

My Experience in the Faculty Role

As a new nurse educator in higher education, I found myself coping with the same

feelings of inadequacy and fear as when I first became a nurse I had new challenges to face and

a new setting to face them in Understanding the world of academia, knowing where my

resources where, and seeking support were but a few of these challenges Gardner (2014)

performed a qualitative study of eight nursing professors, each of whom was at different stages

of their educator careers, with the aim of understanding lived experiences of nurse educators in development and competence When reading this article, I found myself relating to several of Gardner’s subjects’ descriptions of their initial experiences in higher education, and reflecting on

my experiences One subject discussed a lack of mentorship during their first year and the

challenge that situation presented Although I was assigned a mentor, there was not a system in place to facilitate the mentor-mentee relationship and my experience amounted to little more than being given Microsoft PowerPoints and a syllabus Also, there was no formal orientation program in place for new nursing faculty at Vermont Technical College when I was hired New faculty orientations are important to familiarize and socialize new faculty to the role and assist with faculty development (Billings & Halstead, 2012) I am pleased to say that Vermont Tech now has a new nursing faculty orientation program in place

Additionally, during my first few years of being a faculty member, my teaching style consisted of “lecture, lecture, and more lecture” (Gardner, 2014), as I was not competent or confident with using active learning strategies with students during class time (Billings &

Halstead, 2012, Gardner, 2014) My instruction style was overwhelmingly teacher-centered, rather than learner-centered (Billings & Halstead, 2012, p 170) and did not facilitate higher level thinking in the classroom

The academic environment compounded the challenges of the first couple of years of teaching Not only was I a new professor, so was my colleague and co-faculty, which led to a

blind leading the blind type of relationship To add even more depth to our situation, we were

teaching in a distance education region (three sites networked together) that was in its first years

of delivery and is significantly geographically separate from the Vermont Tech main campus To say we experienced some logistical difficulties would be an understatement

With the use of persistence, resource accession, and solicitation of support, I have

successfully met the above challenges head-on I have become acculturated to the faculty role and I have become a new leader at my institution I have gained the confidence to hold an active role in the nursing department and college-wide committees I participated significantly in the Vermont Tech Nursing Department's recent accreditation site visit by the Accreditation

Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), as well as assisted in writing and editing the Systematic Program Evaluation and Self-Study My classroom teaching style has transitioned into more of a “flipped classroom” (Harrington, Bosch, Schoofs, Beel-Bates, & Anderson, 2015)

to encourage student engagement and active learning I have transformed into an effective

educator

Horton-Deutsch, Young, and Nelson (2010) discuss the qualities that nurse faculty

employ to become nurse leaders as “facing challenges through reflecting, persevering through difficulties and learning to relate to others in new ways,” in their qualitative study which

involved interviewing 23 nurse faculty leaders from across the United States I believe that I have demonstrated these qualities in the years since my hiring, which has brought me to where I

am today I have earned tenure and promotion by meeting the performance areas of teaching effectiveness, scholarship and professional activity, and service to college and community

(Vermont State Colleges, 2010) My portfolio submitted for tenure and promotion review

included evidence of classroom presentations, professional organization membership, mentoring, volunteerism, presenting at a professional conference, and committee membership, to name a few of my accomplishments

My institutional achievements, as well as recently earning the CNE credential, are a culmination of my past six years spent in higher education as a nurse educator This is the

longest that I have ever worked for one employer, and I can honestly say that I am excited and inspired every day Nursing education is my passion, and I love what I do Finding myself in this position and being driven to be a lifelong learner is what guided my decision to return to

graduate education and earn a DNP with a focus on education and leadership It is the next logical step in my journey as a nurse educator and leader The DNP is also a necessity to

facilitate meeting my future goal of becoming Associate Dean of Nursing at Vermont Technical College

Conclusion: My Future in an Education Leadership Role

My journey has been a unique and interesting one that has led me to where I am today I have had many experiences as a nurse, both positive and negative, but I feel that they have all contributed to my effectiveness as a nurse educator and leader I have found motivation and inspiration to continue this path and have developed goals that continue to drive my focus as a teacher, learner, and leader

Obtaining the DNP will give me the knowledge and understanding to become a more versed and well-rounded nurse leader with the expertise to confidently and competently move forward at the higher education level in a senior leadership role By applying the Touro

University Nevada’s DNP Program Outcomes (TUN, n.d.) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006), I

will have demonstrated the highest level of practice for nurse educators The DNP will enable

my ability to mentor new educators, lead the integration of evidence-based practice into the curriculum, facilitate faculty development, and ultimately significantly influence improving student outcomes

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2006) The essentials of doctoral education for

advanced nursing practice Retrieved from

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/DNPEssentials.pdf

Billings, D M & Halstead, J A (2012) Teaching in Nursing: A guide for faculty (4th ed.) St

Louis, MO: Elsevier

Gardner, S S (2014) From learning to teach to teaching effectiveness: Nurse educators describe

their experiences Nursing Educator Perspectives, 35(2), 106-111

Harrington, S A., Bosch, M V., Schoofs, N., Beel-Bates, C., & Anderson, K (2015)

Quantitative outcomes for nursing students in a flipped classroom Nursing Education Perspectives, 36(3), 179-181

Horton-Deutsch, S., Young, P K., & Nelson, K A (2010) Becoming a nurse faculty leader:

Facing challenges through reflecting, persevering and relating in new ways Journal of Nursing Management, 18(4), 487-493

National League for Nursing (2013) Certified nurse educator (CNE) 2014 candidate handbook

Retrieved from

http://www.nln.org/docs/default-source/professional-development-

programs/certified-nurse-educator-%28cne%29-examination-candidate-handbook.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Touro University Nevada (n.d.) DNP program outcomes Retrieved from

http://tun.touro.edu/programs/college-of-health-and-human-services/nursing/dnp-curriculum/

Vermont State Colleges (2010) Agreement between Vermont State Colleges and Vermont State

Colleges Faculty Federation, United Professionals AFT Vermont, Local 3180, AFL-CIO

Retrieved from

http://www.vsc.edu/faculty-and-

staff/VSC_Bargaining_Units/VSC%20FTF%20Agreement%202010-2014%20with%20index%20FINAL.pdf