Name: Kevin Brigle
Current place of employment:
Massey Cancer Center
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing
Virginia Commonwealth University

Current role (clinical, administrative, dean, adjunct, etc.):
Oncology Nurse Practitioner
Adjunct Faculty, School of Nursing
Highest level of education: Ph.D.

Number of years you have been an RN: 8
Number of years as a Nurse Educator: 6

Why did you choose to teach nursing (variety of work, flexible work schedule, encourage and educate eager minds, etc.)?
Before I came into the nursing profession, I taught graduate students in the biology department. Thus, teaching in the School of Nursing was a natural progression from what I had done and enjoyed previously.

Over the year/s how has your initial opinion of teaching changed? What is responsible for those changes?
I believe that the performance of individual students over the years has changed my opinion of teaching. Whereas some students are very bright and can grasp new material with minimal instruction, others require a more "hand-held" approach. My initial approach to teaching college students was more of a "one-size-fits-all" strategy. While the majority of students do well with this type of approach, others require additional effort and creativity on my part. Much like nursing itself, it has been specific experiences that have helped me become a better teacher.

Personally speaking, what is the best part of teaching nursing (advising students, classroom teaching, clinical instructing, etc.)?
I most enjoy the clinical aspect of teaching. Nursing is a "hands-on" profession and the clinical component, in my opinion, is where the most useful and enduring information is experienced.

In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of being a Nurse Educator?
As with anything, finding the time to effectively organize, teach, and trouble shoot a course can be difficult. Most everyone, whether a nurse or a Nurse Educator, is pulled from multiple directions into a variety of projects. Keeping a course fresh and engaging is very time consuming.

Would you encourage fellow RNs to consider becoming Nurse Educators? Why or Why not?
Yes. But, I would first ask if they like teaching in general. Do they enjoy helping new nurses in their particular practice setting? Do they mind the extra time it takes to "teach" as opposed to "just showing or doing". There is great personal reward in providing someone a valuable learning experience.

In your opinion, what are some factors that retain you as a Nurse Educator?
It is the occasional student who returns, several months or years later, to tell you how much they have used what you taught them. And it is the occasional light bulb that you see "pop on" in a current student's eyes. Overall, it's the feeling that you have given students useful knowledge and skills that will make them excellent care providers.

What is your opinion of using the Internet as a teaching tool? (For example, one instructor teaching hundreds of students non clinical classes (A&P, Psychology etc.) in a virtual classroom?)
Having gone through many years of schooling, I had first hand experience with some very skilled teachers and of course, experience with some who were not so strong. I tried to model my teaching style after those teachers who gave me the best experience and avoided those methods which were not useful to me as a student. One of the biggest changes has been the incorporation of the internet in my teaching methods. While it took a little effort to begin the process, internet-based instruction and evaluation has been an extremely useful addition. One of the drawbacks is the impersonal nature of this type of instruction. It takes greater effort to keep a student actively engaged and have them take ownership of the information you are trying to teach. That is much more easily done in the traditional face-to-face course setting.

What is the main reason you see nursing students dropping out of programs?
Nursing is not an easy academic program and it requires a significant time commitment to be successful. While I don't believe it is specific to nursing, competition with other life responsibilities can make this time commitment difficult. In reality, I have seen very few nursing dropouts which, I believe, is testimony to the dedication possessed by students who enter the program.