Teaching and My Nursing Role

What sort of teaching is done in your nursing role?

My present nursing role is that of a bedside RN (in a psychiatric hospital). This role requires me to consistently teach and inform those around me. I teach patients, parents, staff members, administrators and even psychologists and psychiatrists via my view as the bedside RN. I teach these members of my team regarding that which I witness and have responsibility for as a nurse and as a team member with consideration for the patient as an individual and for the patient as a member of a residential community. Much of my teaching is done for the patient and their family, especially as we draw closer to discharge.

My future nursing role, the one for which I am working so hard, will be that of a Family Nurse Practitioner (most likely in the primary care setting). I see myself continuing to teach patient, family, staff members and colleagues per my view as a nurse and as a doctoral prepared Family Nurse Practitioner. I plan to incorporate education into my movements and phases of patient and care provider interaction, as I consolidate my moves to effectively and efficiently meet the needs of my patients.

Is there any nursing role that does not involve teaching in some manner?

As I have contemplated this question these past couple of weeks I must say there is no nursing role that truly does not involve teaching in some manner. I thought about if I were to care for a comatose patient and how I would still educate family or friends with each interaction. And I thought of some isolated informatics nurse who would continuously need to teach herself and her department updates in technology and methods. Thus, I believe teaching is an essential part of nursing.