3 Lesson Learned from a Planning a Summit for Nurse Educators
As I shared last week in my email, I've been working on creating a summit for nurse educators. The goals that I set from the beginning still hold true (share interesting, creative, practical resources, build a safe community to share wins and failures with active learning, and provide inspiration), but there are a few takeaways I reflected on through the process that I believe can also apply to our roles as professional educators.
3 Lessons Learned from Hosting a Nurse Educator Summit
Networking is vital as a nursing professional
For some who are social or natural connectors, professional networking can come effortlessly. For others, networking can be off-putting, uncomfortable, and feel inauthentic. But there is tons of research that a healthy professional network leads to new job opportunities, a broader knowledge base, more innovation, and improved authority. It also enhances the quality of our work and increases job satisfaction, something acute care nursing is struggling with right now.
To host the summit I was imagining, I had to reach out beyond my current professional network. This was a step outside my comfort zone, mainly because it included “an ask for help,” which I discuss further below.
I contacted educators with exciting projects they shared on LinkedIn. I joined SONSIEL - the Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Leaders. I asked educators I knew to introduce me to educators that they knew. And through this, I connected with people I could have never imagined having a Zoom coffee with a year ago. And even though not every conversation resulted in a speaker for the event, I actually found joy in the process. I left the conversations feeling inspired and ready to take action. I felt hopeful about my own work. And I connected on a human-to-human level, finding joy in their success and sharing some of the same struggles.
To make the most of networking and keep it from feeling weird, here are my tips:
🐈 Lean into being curious - I am a curious person by nature, but if you are genuinely interested in the work of others, your connection will be authentic. Focus on learning and asking questions. When you bring curious energy, others cannot help but share.
🤝 Connect on a common mission - The most valuable networking is not around small talk but when the stakes are elevated, and both parties can contribute to the goal.
📩 Follow up - Send a simple email saying thank you and continue the conversation. I use Notion during all meetings, take a few notes on what we discussed, connect this to my Contacts database, and finally set a follow-up reminder so nothing falls through. Let me know if you are interested in using Notion, and I can share more about how I use this tool.
Ask for Help
Have you been taught that asking for help is a sign of weakness? Do you come up against social barriers concerning gender, race, class, or sexuality that make it more challenging to ask for help? And on the other side of an ask, when you are asked to help another, how do you feel about offering or giving support?
There is a deeply engrained psychology around asking for help. Hosting this event was an exercise in confronting my own mind barriers around asking. I had to ask for help from people I was meeting for the first time. I had to ask them to trust that I would create a worthwhile event. I had to confront my insecurities and be direct in my language to best use their time. There were undoubtedly awkward moments around asking in this process, but it improved my ability to ask directly.
Organizing this summit has reinforced my belief that humans genuinely want to help each other. Not in a self-serving way but because offering a call for assistance brings us joy. It creates connection and belonging, builds confidence, and gives our work meaning and purpose. I am incredibly grateful to the speakers of this event, as each of them has answered the “ask” with kindness and excitement.
Learning and Accepting How I Work
In the past, I have been overly critical of myself because of my work style. I prefer to wake up early and work while the rest of my house is still sleeping. I’m not particularly eager to work against tight deadlines or open my computer anytime after I eat dinner (it is honestly like my brain does not function at this time of day). I prefer deep, creative work over long stretches of time where I can focus on one task.
And I used to fight myself on these things. I felt guilt and often thought in “shoulds.” Why couldn’t I just stay up after my kids went to bed and write or grade for a while? I should be checking my email more frequently. I should get more than one or two tasks checked off my list in a day of work.
But taking on this summit project, I have worked to allow and accept these work preferences to live out their best life. I gave myself extra time so I did not have to work against deadlines, stay up late, or rush my work. If I had a big task, I told myself it was ok if it took most of the day. I closed my computer, ate dinner, spent time with my family, and actively worked to not allow guilt to creep in about not opening it up again.
Since grad school, I have had a mantra that when I am overwhelmed and feel that I can’t get it all done, I say, “the work always gets done.” And it has. I have never missed a deadline for a project or turned something in late. I want to continue to develop that trust in myself that despite what my racing mind is saying, the work will always get done.
I hope you will join me and the outstanding speakers for this event.
Registration opens on October 5th.
The paradox of work as an educator
Planning this event has brought me both worry and joy, paralyzing fear and over-the-moon excitement. I think it is ok to have that paradox in our work, to feel both ends of the spectrum within the same day or week. It doesn’t have to be either/or. There is space for it to be this and that while still being 100% worthwhile.
Looking for more active learning ideas?
There are many more helpful, practical articles in the Idea Bank.
Want to learn more about active learning tools?
Check out the BreakoutRN decks - a ready-to-go classroom tool for small groups.