When nursing instructor Terry Harper, RN, tells her students she knows what they are going through, she means it literally.
"I can tell them I've sat at the same desk and taken the same test," she said.
Harper is one of three nurses who are teaching in the practical nursing program where they started their nursing education: Southwest Georgia Technical College in Thomasville.
When Harper, Kynthia James and Barbara Barrineau graduated as licensed practical nurses, they planned to pursue careers in nursing. Each took a career turn and came full circle from student to teacher. "Working with faculty members who taught me as a student is an honor. It tells me that this program is proud of what they produce," Harper said.
Caring for her sister after an accident gave Harper a desire to pursue nursing. She graduated from the LPN program in 1995, later earned her associate's degree and expects to earn her bachelor's degree this spring. Harper was working at Archibold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville when SWGTC asked her to come back and teach in 2000.
"I knew it was hard to find teachers, and I was always a good student, so I said yes," Harper said.
It's not the money that keeps her at the college; nurses often make more in the clinical setting than as faculty. It's the job.
"I enjoy it. I love taking a student who knows nothing and teaching her the skills to take care of patients," Harper said.
When Harper takes her students into the clinical setting, she's responsible for teaching them and caring for patients."I get to practice nursing and teaching. It's the best of both worlds, and teaching really keeps you on your toes."
James, RN, MSN, found that teaching was harder than she expected. James graduated from the SWGTC practical nursing program in 1991 and is now program director at the school.
"I served as a preceptor while working in the intensive care unit at Grady General Hospital in Cairo, and discovered I really enjoyed teaching," she said.
James uses her experience as a teaching tool.
"I practiced nursing for 10 years, and I love sharing my knowledge with future nurses," James said. "I tell them that I walked in their shoes and, if I can do it, they can do it."
James still works as a nurse at Grady General one day a month."Once you've done nursing, you miss it, but I know I'm making a contribution by teaching students, and it's very rewarding," she said.
She's proud that the program is growing and the retention rate of students is higher. There are about 40 students on twocampuses.
Teaching goes hand in hand with nursing, according to 1995 graduate Barrineau, RN. As an oncology nurse at Archibold Memorial Hospital, she was already teaching new nurses. She was asked to be lead instructor for SWGTC's satellite program in Grady County in 2004.
"Medicine is so fast-paced that nurses teach each other something new almost every day," Barrineau said.
The curriculum has changed some since her days as a student.
With computers, nurses have
a greater knowledge base and
increased ability to research,
but she maintains that the basic
skills and need for compassion
are the same.
"A nurse always has to have compassion," Barrineau said.
Barrineau is working toward her bachelor's degree and plans to earn a master's degree.
"I try to inspire my students," Barrineau said. "I want them to be better than me."