|
 Provided by Clinician 1
My blogs often focus on what “gets my dander up” for the moment. I find that I am most passionate when I am “fired up,” so to speak. Then I can write volumes... and pare it down for the sake of the viewer.
So in this week’s blog, I will focus on my “issues” with obtaining mandatory CME.
Suffice it to say... working a 40-plus hour work week and raising a family, getting CME hours is not exactly the first priority on my list. Neither is re-certifying for CPR... which I have done for the past 24-odd years. I was also a BLS and ACLS instructor in my “past life,” so I’m rather familiar with the requirements for this test AND how to teach it. (In fact, we had a special class about how to teach the adult learner.) I’ve taught in an ADN program for 2 1/2 years, and I precept continuously... teaching is NOT new to me.
Tonight, I had to get my Basic Life Support recertification. Admittedly, the American Heart Association has made a few changes since I got my last update in March, 2008. (Yes, I’m overdue. Shoot me. LOL) I actually reviewed a DVD by the AHA which outlined the changes. I was surprised by a few of them, but happy that they streamlined the course to simplify it.
What irritated me is that our instructor apparently hadn’t looked at the material. SHE was teaching old information... like abdominal thrusts in an unconscious adult with an airway obstruction. (In case you are wondering, we now perform CPR... and do a visual airway check before the rescue breaths.) When I questioned it, she seemed surprised... then she happened to look at her updated sheets... and gee... I was correct. Wasted about 1 1/2 hours of my time tonight while I watched her “teach” my staff... and thinking, “hoo, hum. I wanna go home.” I’m exhausted after the post- new moon stretch this week.
“My bad,” my boys would say... I ended up unofficially “co-teaching,” as I guided my staff on my own manikin. Funny... the instructor saw me doing so, and she DIDN’T TEST ME!
So, darn it... here are a few basic rules:
1. If you are going to be an instructor, know your material.
2. Be prepared for class and questions; I (as the so-called student) should not have to answer others’ questions because you can’t
3. Keep the flow moving; nothing kills a class like boredom
4. Refer to #1 through #3... again and again.
As always, my opinion, and mine alone! (smile)
Kim Spering is a family nurse practitioner who currently works at Brndjar Medical Associates, P.C., a family practice in Emmaus, PA. Her past experience includes the fields of medical/surgical ICU, open heart/trauma ICU, labor and delivery, nursing education, nursing supervision, and as a nurse practitioner in both family practice and OB/GYN settings. She currently serves as a NP preceptor for her graduate school alma mater, DeSales University, as well as for local baccalaureate programs. She is passionate about patient education and helping patients understand that they are ultimately responsible for their own health. She also firmly believes that the public needs to be educated on the value of NPs and PAs in meeting the health care needs of the next decade and beyond. In her free time, Kim enjoys family vacations with her optometrist husband, Mark, and her two sons, Matthew and Connor.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE
You must be logged in
to recommend articles
| 
