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UVA Health Earn While You Learn (EWYL) and Nursing Professional Development Services (NPDS) — along with Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) — hosted their first Nursing Clinical Instructor Workshop.

The all-day event at NPDS Northridge covered a wide range of topics including roles and responsibilities of clinical instructors, structure of academic nursing programs, and regulatory framework governing nursing education. It also emphasized the importance of creating a structured learning environment for students and provided guidance on designing a semester plan, managing daily clinical activities, and implementing effective teaching strategies.

Supportive Learning Environment

Kathleen Rea, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, PCCN, CNL, UVA Health Clinical Nurse Specialist-Advanced Practice Provider and UVA School of Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor, and Sarah Craig, PhD, RN, CCNS, CCRN-K, CHSE, CNE, UVA School of Nursing Associate Professor, led participants through tactics for facilitating student learning in numerous healthcare settings, promoting critical thinking, and fostering a culture of safety.

The workshop addressed crucial aspects of student performance evaluation and feedback — empowering teachers to address diverse student challenges ranging from high-performing to struggling learners while fostering a supportive learning environment. By promoting reflective practices and clear performance expectations, instructors are better prepared to guide students toward achieving clinical competencies.

Building Strong Relationships

The event also brought together key stakeholders including Beth Mehring, MSN, RN, Director, UVA Health EWYL Clinical Programs, Clarissa Moctezuma, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, PVCC Associate Dean of Nursing, seven PVCC clinical faculty members, and clinical instructors through the EWYL program to lay the foundation for the new program and foster collaboration among participants to build strong relationships and processes for the future.

Cultivating Confidence, Competence, and Satisfaction

Nicole Henley, MSN, RN, CCRN, NI-BC, UVA Health EWYL Clinical Programs Manager, says the development of the program aligns with our UVA Health strategic plan. She adds that the workshop and EWYL program positively impact recruitment by integrating nursing students into our culture of professional practice. "We are excited about supporting current nurses interested in becoming clinical instructors or faculty. Retaining talented nurses through innovative professional development opportunities such as clinical teaching is important to the long-term support for nursing in our community.” 

“The Nursing Clinical Instructor Workshop was a wonderful experience for our PVCC nursing faculty,” hails Ashley Hart, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, PVCC School of Nursing Assistant Professor. “It gave us the opportunity to network with other nursing faculty in the Charlottesville area and provided some helpful insights into different teaching techniques that can be used in the clinical environment.”

Jessica Fox, MSN, RN, FNP-C, UVA Health EWYL RN Clinical Instructor, really enjoyed the topics of creating a shared mental model, setting expectations for professionalism, and implementing innovative teaching methods like interruption scenarios, grand rounds, and peer-to-peer chart checks. “These strategies not only enrich the learning experience for students but also inspire instructors to adopt creative approaches in their teaching," she explains. "Overall, the workshop cultivates confidence, competence, and satisfaction among clinical instructors as they mentor future nursing professionals.“