PhilosophyAlyssa Bolante

As a nursing student, my most satisfying experiences in teaching were in clinical have

revolved around the in working with patients and educating them, that it is possible to see the

world differently through guidance. I continue to believe that it is possible to create moments

when we think outside our own boxes of habits and rituals. In this sense, my teaching

philosophy can perhaps best be described as the teaching of guidance, by which I mean the

encouragement of different styles of thinking, that allow us to re-consider our own unconscious

relationship to ourselves and, perhaps, the world at large.

Teaching is important to me because it isn’t about changing a way a person thinks, but

showing them the door of endless possibilities of knowledge. Those who are willing are the ones

that are able to harness the endless amounts of knowledge.

I feel my patients would describe me as a teacher who is patient and takes the time to go

over what his or her medications they will be taking or how to administer insulin; as well as

hands on teacher. An example of this can be seen when I teach a patient how to administer his or

her insulin. When a patient is about to get discharged I sit with them and explain the step-by-step

process on how to administer insulin, and then show them how to draw the insulin, then where to

administer the insulin on their body. Then I allow them to show me to see if they understand the

process.

I assess my teaching effectiveness on how well my patients are able to relay information

back to me; whether it is about medications they will be taking, their diet and exercise plan, or

why it’s important to continue to their monitor their blood pressure. If they can be discharged

feeling comfortable that they will be able to take care of themselves on their own it s a sense of

accomplishment for me.

My teaching philosophy is modeled by problem-based learning because most patients

that I see do have a problem, such as having a heart condition, mental health illness, or just

having a cold. Each person individually cares for themselves in his or her own unique way, so

one must be able to challenge a patient on how to care for themselves in a way that will benefit

them. Some patients aren’t able to go to the gym everyday for 30 minutes to exercise, so you

have to tweak and have the patient park far away from the super market, so that they can get the

30 minutes of exercise in for the day. You can only guide a patient, so problem-based learning I

feel is like taking a horse to the river, you can’t make a horse drink, only guide them to where

they can.

My belief about how people learn is what guides my own teaching philosophy. You can

only give people the information; you can’t force it upon them. Those who are willing are the

ones you accomplish the most within the hospital and out, but you must lead by example and

practice what you preach. As just a novice in teaching, not only as I grow and learn so will my

teaching philosophy be affected by what I learn not just from myself, but from others as well.