GDI is a Saskatchewan-based educational, employment and cultural institute serving Métis across the province
Dec 7, 2017
Posted in: Practical Nursing
By Chantelle Julé
Dr. Jean Watson, an American nurse theorist and nursing professor, once said that “Nurses are a unique kind. They have this insatiable need to care for others, which is both their greatest strength and fatal flaw.” Nursing is a challenging profession, and whether you’re a nursing student, a seasoned nurse or instructing for the first time, transitioning into these roles is not easy. To instruct in nursing, you are not required to have a teaching certificate, but rather a passion to educate and inspire your students to become nurses who have knowledge, compassion and dedication to provide care to others at some of the weakest times of their lives. To be a good nursing instructor, one must demonstrate astute interpersonal skills, clinical competency, professionalism, and an understanding of the principles of adult learning, in addition to being a positive role model. As an educator, you are continually educating yourself on how to become more effective in your work. Effective learning is achieved through the use of creative strategies designed not to entertain, but to inform and stimulate students’ minds. Canadian Association of Practical Nurse Educators (CAPNE) Conference 2017 provided this learning opportunity for three DTI Practical Nursing faculty members last month.
Janelle Schentag, Patricia Hooper, Erica Warriner and I attended the CAPNE Conference as part of professional development. CAPNE is the national voice for Practical Nursing Education in Canada. Each year, they host a conference in a different province, providing an opportunity for nursing educators from across the country to get together and learn from, and inspire one another. This year’s conference took place at the Delta Bessborough, Saskatoon from October 18th-20th. The theme for the conference was “Looking beyond the horizon: The changing dynamics of Practical Nurse Education.” The conference focused on how to best prepare students to navigate the dynamic health care environment, Indigenization of Practical Nurse Education, and strategies for success to meet diverse learner needs.
Staff really enjoyed their time at the conference and took every opportunity to connect and learn from others in their field as they discussed opportunities and challenges of being a Practical Nursing Educator. Erica Warriner stated, “This year, I began my journey as a PN instructor with DTI. This has always been a personal passion and professional goal of mine and I was given the opportunity to attend the Canadian Association of Practical Nurse Educators (CAPNE) conference in October. This was a fantastic conference where I was able to learn many strategies of instructing in nursing. One presentation given by the keynote speaker was on the use of evidence to guide teaching and assessment in nursing education, and another was a scientific look into the world of today’s modern student from the perspective of age and generational groups. These two presentations in particular were of great influence to me and have been the better part of what I have drawn on to provide meaningful connections to course materials for my students.”
One of our experienced teaching staff from Regina, Janelle Schentag, indicated that CAPNE was an “invaluable experience. Hearing from professionals in our field who are doing the research that validates what we do every day was amazing. Every presentation I attended was both reassuring to me that yes, I am doing things right; as well as gave me new ideas to incorporate into my teaching.” The conference was a useful professional development that enabled us to connect with nurse educators from across the country and more importantly across Saskatchewan, where we are all teaching the same courses. Finding out what others do to keep things fresh and interesting is great, and learning about different strategies being used to enhance student success is so beneficial. At DTI, we are very fortunate for our nursing faculty who take such pride in their work and are so dedicated and committed to creating the best nurses possible-those who are very knowledgeable but also caring and compassionate.
DTI is the second largest practical nursing training provider in Saskatchewan, providing training in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina. During this past program year, 37 students graduated with a Practical Nursing diploma with 79% securing employment within three months of graduating. To date, 289 students have graduated from the DTI practical nursing program.
GDI is a Saskatchewan-based educational, employment and cultural institute serving Métis across the province
