“Andrea is a compassionate instructor who offers students the individualized support needed to meet high standards with confidence. Her unique teaching approach is built on developing relationships, creating safe spaces, seeking rich learning opportunities, and providing thoughtful feedback. Andrea challenged us to be critical thinkers, expand our self-reflection, and provide exceptional patient care. Her innovative approach stands out in developing excellence in the next generation of nurses.”
Another recipient of a 2024 Camosun Teacher Recognition Award, Andrea has been a faculty member in the Baccalaureate of Science, Nursing (BSN) program at the college for 17 years. A registered nurse (RN) since 2001, Andrea has worked in almost all clinical settings, but early on in her schooling, began to feel like teaching was her path. “By second year I wanted to do what my teachers were doing, but I needed more clinical experience to give me more confidence.” Then her husband began to teach at Camosun. “I saw what he was doing, and I thought, I really want to teach too. And now, I love being in the classroom, in the lab, working with the students because they inspire me to think and learn and grow.”
Andrea told me she has taught everything in the BSN program, including theory and relational practice courses, but she always teaches the clinical courses, and has been in almost every clinical setting, but her heart “is in oncology and palliative care. I’ve also just completed my master’s in counselling which supports the work we do in oncology. I love helping my students support families as they work through grief.” I asked Andrea if her degree in counselling has helped her support students in their own studies, knowing how stressful the BSN program is. “Yes, absolutely. Our students are stretched thin and being a nurse is a busy, demanding job. As well, because many students have anxiety or other mental health challenges, if I can support them in a more holistic way to empower them in their learning, they can identify their own strengths to become the best nurses they can be.”
I asked Andrea what she enjoys most about being in the classroom. “I’m passionate about nurses giving great care to patients and families, and I feel that as an educator, I can help shape that. I understand that a nurse can be very skilled but may not be able to relate to patients who may be experiencing some of the hardest days of their lives. So, I just love being able to support the students in becoming that compassionate nurse for their patients.”
The BSN program was especially challenged when COVID hit, mainly because of the hands-on nature of the program, and I wondered how Andrea adapted at the time and what she might have taken away from that experience. “I learned a lot and got more comfortable with technology and learning in different ways. My experience with the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program (PIDP) gave me a good foundation for using technology for teaching, but moving online forced me to use it more, for example by recording videos or integrating D2L discussion forums. I do think the pandemic made me a better teacher, but it also made me realize I don’t want to teach online because I missed the engagement with and immediate feedback from my students.” As to what Andrea has kept since that time, not a lot since she has only been teaching clinical recently. Immediately after COVID, however, she taught the theory course as a flipped course. “I never would have had the guts to do that before. In that version of the course, students reviewed videos in advance and came to class ready to work on more practical content. And I think the learning improved in those theory classes because they had access to the videos ahead of time.”
I take groups of eight students into the hospital setting, and what I have learned is that some students aren’t ready emotionally to be on units like oncology or palliative care. Some students have limited to no life experience dealing with death or grief or they have recently had a loved one pass, sometimes even from cancer. So, what I’ve started doing is having them reflect on whether they are ready for specific units. I explain that oncology is an amazing unit – it’s so rewarding, but people are going to die on our shift and families are going to be in a lot of grief. I ask them, how they are going to care for themselves and have them self assess if they think they’re ready. Because they have to look after themselves so they can get through their year of school.”
I wondered if Andrea had any specific memories from her years of teaching to share. “I was very inspired by something that happened recently. A student didn’t know if she wanted to go into the oncology/palliative unit, or into the respiratory unit for clinic. I needed more students to go on the oncology side, and I thought she would work well there. She had had a rocky term and was ready to quit, so, we talked about how things could play out for her, and she ended up just doing amazing on palliative. The patients loved her, and they never wanted her to leave. She had the right personality and wanted to learn and grow. In the end she told me palliative was the area she wanted to pursue, and I told her the patients and families would be lucky to have someone like her at their bedside.” Andrea told me how inspiring it was to see how one week this student was ready to drop out, and the next she was blossoming on the palliative unit. “The stories that resonate the most for me are when students become confident and begin to trust themselves, and then surprise themselves when they look back at the start of the term and realize how far they have come.”
Andrea had a lot of advice for new faculty coming to teach at Camosun. “Trust yourself but lean on experienced faculty – I learned so much from senior teachers when I started. Be humble with your students. It’s okay to not know something – that’s where we grow the most. And I really feel that completing some kind of courses on teaching is invaluable. For me, the PIDP made me a better teacher; it made me much more confident and breathed new life into this job for me. Have fun, be creative, and don’t be afraid to try new things. Students love it when you mix it up. Create diverse assignments so students have some choice to demonstrate their knowledge in different ways. And finally, make sure to take some self care for yourself so you can support your students.”