Can a nurse educator teach their students how to be compassionate?

Answer 1

Nurse educators can absolutely teach compassion to nursing students. Most nursing students come into Nursing wanting to help. Most often, it is fear of the unknown that prevents students to show their compassion. Is touching ok? Will I offend this patient? I can't possibly understand his/her pain. Will my words hurt even more? With differing cultural backgrounds, ethnicity etc. What might be the right response? Questions like these swirl in the minds of nursing students. Nurse educators pave the way to role model behaviors - Nurse educators - by going along with the student into the patient's room shows them how to talk to the patients in a therapeutic manner - use of touch where appropriate, by being present, by actively listening, by being non-judgmental - students observe and learn these behaviors. And good nursing faculty bring these clinical vignettes to the classroom and to simulation activity where students practice these behaviors without fear of making mistakes. So yes, nurse educators CAN teach compassion.

Answer 2

I believe a nurse educator can teach their students to compassionate. Nursing students need to understand what it is like to be a patient in their situation of being sick, by putting themselves in "another person's shoes" so to speak. However, most students go into nursing because they want to help people and enjoy people and are interested in the science of the human body and spirit.

Nurse educators act as a role model for students. Being compassionate can be best noted or demonstrated during clinical rotations when educators and students are actively interacting with their patients.

Laurie