The path of a good nursing educator. The perspective of the protagonists

Abstract

Good educators are vital as referents in the education process for novice nurse teachers and nursing students. Objective: To explore transcendental aspects for the educational performance of the good trainers in nursing, from their own perspectives and in spheres related to their personal and professional history. Methods: Qualitative research, case study methodology. To identify the best nursing educators, students and teachers of two University Nursing Schools were consulted in Barcelona. Professor's diary, interviews and participant observations were used. Criteria of scientific rigor were applied. Informed consent and an identification system were used, ensuring confidentiality and anonymity. Results: The influence of models as parents and clinical teachers, the value of the teacher-student relationship, the pedagogical intuition and the relevance of the clinical practice scenario were described as transcendental for their performance. Discussion and Conclusions: Several aspects of personal life and professional history were influential to the performance of good nursing educators, with a potent coherence between the professional act and the educative action, corroborating the importance of the practical knowledge built based on personal experiences without requiring a necessary participation in formal pedagogical training programs.