Type Of Business:
Health care facility
Expertise:
Nursing education
Major Product/SVS:
Health care services
Favorite Business Publication:
MedSurg Nursing, Nursing 2011, (any nursing or medical journal). My favorites include:Journal of Nursing Education, Nursing Forum, and The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing; I am an avid reader because I like to learn to improve my teaching abilities to reach students on clinical and patient/families at the bedside.
Hobbies/Sports:
Going to auctions, reading medical thrillers, reading nursing journals
Education Degrees:
Master of Science in Nursing, Walden University (2010)
Affiliations Awards:
Iowa Nurses Association; Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
Place of Birth:
Centerville
Industry:
Nursing Education
State/Country of Origin:
USA
Date of Distinction:
6/14/2011
Work History:
IHCC- Adjunct Clinical Nursing Instructor-current
ORHC-Med/surg staff nurse, part time-current
Clinic -Physician office Nursing
What do you feel separates you from the rest of the professionals in your industry?:
Being an advocate for both nurses, students and clients as well as taking time for myself to avoid professional burnout. I try and get to know each of my students and I teach them to listen to their patient/client/family because this is very important for changing healthcare behaviors. and for safe clinical decision making. Being successful as a nurse educator or bedside nurse includes keeping up to date on the rapidly changing healthcare technology and being involved in professional organizations that contribute to professional growth. Also, knowing when to question what you do not understand is important for patient safety.
What has been the most outstanding thing you have done thus far in your career?:
Continuing to have a love for nursing and sharing it with others because nursing involves a lifetime of learning. As a nurse educator my goal is to help ensure that the next generation of nurses are competent to perform safe practices for best patient/client outcomes.
How would you like to be remembered by your peers?:
As a caring person who gives 100% regardless of the context of the nursing environment
If you could solve one problem in the world today, what would it be?:
One problem I would like to solve is the shortage of nurse educators because there are students nationwide that are on waiting lists to enroll in nursing programs. Nurses are problem solvers and if we could get the state legislature to listen to nurses we could solve this problem.Many qualified nurses do not consider this professional role because of the lower wages compared to clinical nurses in the hospital setting.
If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?:
My father who died in 1988, He would always worry and tell me that nursing is hard work and I am too sensitive to work in the profession even though my sister Dee was a nurse. I would tell him that I am a survivor and despite the days that I have physical, mental, and emotional fatigue I can tell myself that it was worth it because I let that person know that I cared enought to give my best as a nurse. And, that I married Sam and he is still my biggest champion and best friend.
Expanded Biography:
Ms. Cortesio-Stewart has her own philosophy of nursing that she can share with you:
Nursing is a caring profession that builds upon a establishment of a trusting therapeutic relationship between the nurse and patient/family. The patient is the center of all care and the nurses role is that of advocating for the patient to meet self care goals. What this entails is connecting with the patient for needed life style changes. It involves knowing the patient as a whole person and remaining in the context of the situation in order to hear and respond to any calls for help. The bottom line is that the nurses duty is always toward the patient themselves, not what society dictates or expects. And, once the nurse knows what the patient considers their level of health to be, we can guide the patient centered care by using clinical reasoning for problem solving so that the patient can make their own choices. Facilitating changes in health will not occur without this focus on the patient.
Throughout the duration of your career, what was the one highlight that stood out the most?:
Completing MSN degree with emphasis on nursing education and being hired by IHCC as a Adjunct Clinical Nursing Instructor. Working with undergraduate students is so important because its the foundation for further learning as a nursing professional. A clinical nurse educator must facilitate student learning from the classroom into the clinical area and this is a very gratifying job.
Charity:
Has voluntariy tutored student nurses in the past before being hired by Indian Hills Community College as an adjunct instructor.
Number Of Years In Profession:
23
Number Of Years In Current Position:
1
What Does He/She Attribute Success To:
She attributes her success to the fact that she is always learning from the nursing and medical journals, from professional peers, and from students/ patient/family as they share their stories. She has been inspired by articles written by nurse researchers who discuss the daily unpredictable clinical challenges that nurse educators face with students and how to turn these into positive learning experiences.
Why did you become involved in your profession or industry?:
She became involved in her profession because everyone told her she would make a great nurse. Years ago, she had thought about being a physical therapist or a doctor but came to realize that nursing was what she wanted to do after working in the hospital environment. She also admired her sister, Dee, who is a very successful cardiac ICU nurse.. Close friends told her that she had the ability to listen sensitively to others in order to know what their needs are physical and emotionally. Being a nurse educator today has expanded this growing interest in helping others by seeing student nurses grow professionally; She is excited that some of the students are very interested in continuing their education to becomre nurse practitioners or doctors.
Extended Bio Profile:
Ms. Cortesio-Stewart has been a clinical bedside hospital nurse for 23 years at Ottumwa Regional Health Center. She has worked in medical surgeical unit, emergency room care, telemetry, acute rehabilitation and mental health.
She has her own philosophy of teaching:
Being an authentic nurse educator and professional role model means being aware that others who are actively engaged in the learning partnership will bring their own values, beliefs, and life experiences to the learning process, and that we will learn from each other. I cannot stress the importance of remembering this. My role is to facilitate a culturally diverse multi-generational student population, for collaborative learning by seeking to kinow and respect each learner who will have different learning styles and paces of learning, and utilizing multi-media strategies to meet the learners needs regardless of the context of the learning environment.
Being a credible nurse eduicator means maintaining a strong sense of stewardship, using emotional intelligence, and keeping your personal and professional integrity intact with all levels of students.
Critical self reflection of teaching methods includes incorporating multiple ways of knowing, using the adult education theory, narrative learning approaches which I use a lot, and being proficient with muti-media (which I am still learning!), and simulation technologies in order for interactive learning to occur.The overall goal that I must strive for is for my students to achieve the highest level of cognitive development needed for clinical reasoning and problem solving, affective behavioral growth, and the psychomotor skills necessary for success in passing the board certification to care for complex patients in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. Nothing less than this is acceptable because future nurses must be competent for patient safety.
Last but not least, being a scholarly nurse educator means knowing that my teaching approach for meeting the needs of the student must be based upon research that incluides evidenced-based nursing practice models. Learning for nurses is a lifetime occupation so we must seek answers to questions that we have and not be afraid to speak up when we don't understand. It means spending hours conducting, applying, and evaluating relevant research, doing peer reviews, being involved in social policy changes that are part of the Iowa Nurses Association initiatives and obtaining professional certification.
Position Responsibilities and Duties:
Teaching first- and second year nursing students; Coordinating assignments and facilitating the learning experience. Keeping up with the nursing research that impacts patient and student outcomes, and sharing this information with peers, students, and patients. Continuing professional educational interests in diabetes and other chronic disease such as heart failure and chronic lung.
Education Certifications:
Current BLS instructor; Also is currently trained in PALS, ACLS, and TNCC to support clinical practices.
Where Will You Be In 5 Years:
In five years, Ms. Cortesio-Stewart hopes to be teaching full time at IHCC, and become a nationally certified academic nurse educator Currently she is preparing for a diabetic nurse educator certification