Module 4 Blog

Teaching is an inherent part of nursing. As a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and a Reproductive Health-Gyn Nurse Practitoner, teaching is an integral part of my position. I am constantly teaching to children and families regarding normal developmental milestones. I am an educator in anticipatory guidance regarding safety, health promotion and disease prevention for clients. In addition, I often discuss healthy choices and decision making skills with adolescents. Education is an especially important area in this age group.

When clients are ill or at risk, I often educate on parameters for a disease. This is especially important when I have a critically ill child that I am waiting and watching before admitting that child to the hospital. It is critical that my teaching be effective and understood or the child's health may be jeopardized.

I have used the necessity for teaching as a way to justify longer appointment times in the private practice where I was previously employed. Because the Nurse Practice Act in the State of Colorado explicitly states that nurses are teachers to clients, the Nurse Practitioners at the private practice where worked used that as a bargaining tool to obtain 20 minute appointment times instead of the usual 15 minute slots for the pediatricians. Luckily, the pediatricians in our practice saw this as one of our valuable assets for the families we served.

If I had known more about wikis and mobile devices I would have been more effective with many of the teens in my practice. It was not uncommon for them to come in with i-phones. Many of them were watching their phones and videos that were sent to them on text. I had no previous knowledge about these, so was unable to use those mediums as a teaching tool with my clients. Had I known what I know now, I could have used resources on you tube and even wiki sights as an alternative way to teach and communicate important ideas. When I am in practice again, this is something I intend to incorporate.

The link to the wiki I previewed is: 
     http://www.med.yale.edu/library/services/computing/pdahardware.html

I am interested in purchasing a mobile device for practice and this provided some interesting information. Until I took this class I did not understand the value of such devices. I am still uncomfortable with wiki's but understand the importance of learning about them.
Bridget