Module 4

I do all kinds of teaching as a RN.  We are constantly talking with our patients about what to expect for the day or disease process, how/why things happen, what we are doing for them, how/why we are doing it etc.  Then the patient's spouse or children come and want an update and you tell them the same thing you just told the patient.  There are three schools of nursing that come to DRMC for clinicals, so we have students very frequently.  We have the opportunity to teach them the hows and whys of treating patients.  We also teach them procedures, skills, and helpful hints to improve their work that we have learned over the years.  I also come home to a wife who asks how my day was, what kind of patients I took care of, what we did for them, and why.  As RNs, we are respected by many as honest, knowledgeable health care workers, so anybody could ask us questions about anything related to health care, and we can teach them at that time.  I would estimate that half of the work that I do in a day is talking, and half of my talking is teaching.