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Capstone Project : A New Clinical Instructor Essay

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Capstone Project The proposed capstone project began with remembering what it was like to start out as a new clinical instructor. I started teaching clinicals confident in my ability to coach and mentor nursing students in their skills and critical thinking. During my tenure as an adjunct clinical instructor the nursing program never assessed my skills. As a clinical instructor students are looking to you as an example. Many times the examples provided are lacking in evidence-based practice knowledge and clinical competency. One specific memory is of a student asking for assistance in placing a nasogastric tube. As an experienced emergency room nurse many would have thought my abilities to place a nasogastric tube would have been proficient, when in reality I had only placed one as a student. The distress I felt at attempting to coach my clinical student as well as the humiliation at having to ask a nurse on the unit to assist caused me to question my abilities as a clinical instructor. If my skill set had been assessed at the start of my clinical instructor career and annually, the nursing program could have mentored myself and others in how to handle these situations and also improve our knowledge of various skills. The goal of the capstone project about clinical instructor competencies was to encourage open communication between local hospitals about evidence based practice changes they were implementing as well as develop a competency format for clinical

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