What have I learned?
That teaching and planning take a great deal of time and study.
That teaching can be fun and terrifying.
That teaching is not static.
That it is a labor of love, a passionate venture.
That teaching involves caring.
That learning never ends.
That experience is a good teacher but guided experience is the best teacher.
That my students much like my patients are now my responsibility.
That I must be wise.
That with God’s help I am able.
That I am entering a whole new world with new and exciting challenges.
That as I teach and guide I am simply standing on the shoulders of all those who have invested their time and effort in me. This humbles me and fills me with gratitude.
And finally that we are all part of something much larger than ourselves, the noble profession of nursing.
In January I will begin to work full-time as a pediatric nursing instructor with USC Upstate. This is so very exciting. God has ordered my steps and I am grateful. My goal was always to become a nurse educator. However, I had assumed that I would begin by teaching a fundamentals course before I would be able to move into my specialty. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." (Ephesians 3:20). I praise God.
Finally, I love collecting bits of inspiration. The quote below is from The Quote Garden. http://www.quotegarden.com/index.html
~When I think about all the patients and their loved ones that I have worked with over the years, I know most of them don't remember me nor I them. But I do know that I gave a little piece of myself to each of them and they to me and those threads make up the beautiful tapestry in my mind that is my career in nursing. ~ Enjoy ~
~Donna Wilk Cardillo, A Daybook for Beginning Nurses
