The Nurse Support Program II (NSP II), administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission and funded through the Health Services Cost Review Commission, announced in early 2021 the first annual Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition Awards (NFAR), showcasing 13 of Maryland’s finest nurse faculty. Each of the award recipients was nominated by their Dean or Director of Nursing and will receive $10,000.
Jane Schroeder, MSN, RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing at Carroll Community College, was one of only two faculty chosen for the demonstrated area of "Excellence in Teaching."
Below, Professor Schroeder shares her thoughts on this award and her teaching career:
Can you briefly summarize the contribution(s) you made that led to your nomination for this award?
Teamwork and faculty support are my strong points in the college and virtual setting.
My strongest area of instruction is in the clinical setting. I have been fortunate enough to be assigned to various hospitals in the area including Johns Hopkins, Northwest, Frederick, and Carroll Hospital. My clinical instruction includes Socratic questioning done with each student individually at various times during the clinical day. I practice medication administration, and the critical thinking involved, with each student at least 4 times per rotation. I individualize assignments based on the level of the nursing students and work from simple to more complex each clinical rotation.
I often mentor new adjunct and full-time faculty to the clinical setting and act as a resource during the clinical day.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your career as an educator?
As an instructor you will never know all the information on any topic. Research and actively learn new information each time you present a topic to keep your content current.
Do not be afraid to tell the students you do not know something.
Offer to investigate and bring the information back to the class.
Demonstrate how you would research a topic using reliable nursing or medical resources. Make a point of following up within 2 days.
What advice would you offer to those interested in becoming an educator?
Be patient with yourself as you go from expert to novice.
Adult learners have life experiences and recognizing that in the beginning of the semester shows you respect their knowledge base. This is a solid way to begin the student instructor relationship. When you teach a topic give them context. Use a case study or have them share personal experiences. Context helps them to remember.
Don't be threatened when they check the information you teach them on Google right in the classroom.
Use it as an example of how to find reliable resources.
What is your proudest accomplishment as an educator?
Each time a student has an ah ha moment and things click into place for them is a proud moment for me.
Receiving this award is a very significant accomplishment for me. Thank you so much for the honor.
Thank you to Professor Schroeder for your continued contributions to nursing education in Maryland! Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!
Stay tuned for upcoming features of other NFAR recipients. You can find the full list of awardees here: