I knew it would happen one day........................................

[october2012]

As a teacher in a small community you are bound to run into your students while out to dinner, at Wal-mart or at church from time to time. This is the joy of teaching, to see a student you taught many years ago who is now a successful working professional. To know that you as a teacher played a small role in that person's life and helped propel them into the nursing field is rewarding. I have worked with former students side by side, who are leaders in the profession, while training new students who are just starting out. To walk on a unit and see a former student working as a charge nurse is a special moment of teacher bliss! However, as a Health Occupations teacher who, from time to time, needs medical care in a small community you are sure to run into a former student as your caregiver! Yes, we teach patient confidentiality and HIPPA but we never expect or should I say "hope" to be the patient of our former students. I began to stress about an upcoming medical appointment where I knew two former students worked. They worked at the facility beacuse I placed them there during their internship for school. The physicians liked them so much they were hired. That was several years ago and they are still employed at the medical office while working towards their BSN at our local university. I was very stressed about having to be weighed, measured and pricked by a student for for whom I taught these skills. The skills are simple enough, but this was not the issue. The issue was the students had always regarded me as their teacher. How would they feel when the roles changed? Would they always view me as their teacher or would they see me as their patient? The day of the appointment I went to the office and there to greet me was a former student. We were both apprehensive at first about our new roles as a nurse and patient instead of teacher vs. student. However, the student treated me professionally and with the upmost respect! Wow! It was great to be taken care of by a health care worker that I taught. The field of nursing has been so rewarding and then to be privileged to teach it as well is the icing on the cake! I hope to continue in this role as RN/Health Occupations Teacher for many years to come. I am proud to be a nurse, it was simply one of the best decisions I have ever made, but combined with education it is also gratifying and humbling.

[ZuziRN]

Oh dear you...if you was "THE TEACHER" for many of them you will still be "THE TEACHER" and you will have a special place in them hearts.

They will never look at "the teacher's bottom...or something else"...for them you will still be "THE MENTOR" and the mentor dosen't have predominant physical dimension like main focus, but spiritual one.

Don't fell embarrassed, or stressed out, if you grew up good these kids and educated softly like you write, they still kept this image of you, you are THE SPIRIT of nursing teacher.

I will tell you something....i took care of one of my mentors in nursing...I WAS the one embarrassed to asses his body, because for me he was A SPIRIT of nursing more than a body. I didn't looking to his body like the body of MY teacher and I make courage to think just how he techead me to do and how I usual do with all others patients. Emotional was high...each moment I reapeted my self..."you teached me to be the best NOW I need to prove to you that I AM THE BEST and help you".


Neither one second I thought at his body like my teacher body, but much more like this body is "the house" of my so dear teacher I need to aplly everything that he teached me and everything gained by experience and keep my teacher alive.

If the relation with your students was the one that I had with ALL my teachers...you don't have nothing to worry about....WHOLE them hearts willl be for you there, because YOU teached them it...and THANK YOU is all that you will seen in them eyes!

[scotttyna]

Oh dear you...if you was "THE TEACHER" for many of them you will still be "THE TEACHER" and you will have a special place in them hearts.

They will never look at "the teacher's bottom...or something else"...for them you will still be "THE MENTOR" and the mentor dosen't have predominant physical dimension like main focus, but spiritual one.

Don't fell embarrassed, or stressed out, if you grew up good these kids and educated softly like you write, they still kept this image of you, you are THE SPIRIT of nursing teacher.

I will tell you something....i took care of one of my mentors in nursing...I WAS the one embarrassed to asses his body, because for me he was A SPIRIT of nursing more than a body. I didn't looking to his body like the body of MY teacher and I make courage to think just how he techead me to do and how I usual do with all others patients. Emotional was high...each moment I reapeted my self..."you teached me to be the best NOW I need to prove to you that I AM THE BEST and help you".


Neither one second I thought at his body like my teacher body, but much more like this body is "the house" of my so dear teacher I need to aplly everything that he teached me and everything gained by experience and keep my teacher alive.

If the relation with your students was the one that I had with ALL my teachers...you don't have nothing to worry about....WHOLE them hearts willl be for you there, because YOU teached them it...and THANK YOU is all that you will seen in them eyes!

I totally agree with you ZuziRN. You are right!!!

[Vbay7777]

From a student point of view; being responsible for taking care of a former teacher was a situation that made me both nervous and proud at the same time. I was worried if I would be able to measure up to the level of confidence she gave me during our clinical experiences. I was so happy to fulfill my lifelong desire to be a nurse but when faced with role reversal, I was anxious. Fortunantely, I was able to go through the procedures without a hitch and we both realized that although we were both a little nervous, we both laughed and everything went fine.

[malenurse354]

Probably that's how I would feel too if ever I'll encounter a a former teacher coming into my workplace as a patient!!