A quick sidebar for my apologies for this proverb’s politically incorrectness, but it fits.

As the old proverb goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat. This holds true in life and learning. Our students come from different places, different learning backgrounds, assorted study habits, but they have all arrived here. Here in the nursing program we see and hear from our students this frustration over this idea that there is more than one way of doing things.

“That is not how they do that where I work,” or “That isn’t what they said last semester.”

There is no one simple formulary to follow for every nursing task and skill, it just isn’t that black and white. A key component of the nursing process has to do with assessing an individual patient or situation to determine the appropriate outcome and the interventions needed to get there. Of course there are some basic principles for asepsis, safety, and patient respect, but in the end, there are pieces of the process that are up to the individual performing the task. Students are often frustrated that different methods can produce the same result. They want to know that one right way.

“What way is the correct way?” “Which way will I need to know?”

It is our intention to give our nursing students a “best practice” example (and one tailored to how it might be represented on their licensure exam). Students learn early on in our program through testing, that nursing tests are different than those they have experienced before. Multiple correct answers stare back at them and they must discern the “most correct” answer. This is part of the process of thinking like a nurse.

Although they will learn to grow and develop their own practice and nursing judgment, it is our role as they learn this new career, to give them a solid foundation to base their growth on.  This is why with nursing it is important for students to develop an understanding, so their thinking will extend beyond the skill to be able to “see” when (and why) another way might be the better option.