This year marks my 20th year as a nursing professional development (NPD) practitioner. It has been an amazing journey filled with many opportunities to learn from colleagues, students, conferences, and more. As I reflect on the past 20 years, I have compiled a top 10 list of my most treasured "truths." Ironically, most of these truths were learned outside of the academic or professional nursing world. They are seemingly basic lessons that I gained from my secondary career as a group exercise instructor in the fitness industry during the 1990s and 2000s. Group exercise became a passion of mine that helped skyrocket my health and well-being, and I became an instructor to motivate others to achieve optimal health. Here are the insights that I gained:
1. Learners arrive at their own level. When I first started teaching group exercise classes, I was overly enthusiastic and expected all of the participants to work hard and be motivated to excel. I was passionate and expected that same passion from others. What I quickly learned was that each person came to class with a unique set of circumstances regarding their own body, mind, and spirit. These participants, not unlike our learners in the healthcare setting, were all at their own level with their own set of biases and challenges. I needed to honor where each participant was on their personal journey and help them achieve improved health and well-being, which were different for each person.
2. Walk the walk and talk the talk. Group exercise instructors can and should be role models for healthy behaviors. I learned to be cognizant about what I said and did and to emphasize how exercise helps us feel better and the ways that it improves overall health, rather than just focusing on short-term goals, such as losing five pounds. As NPD practitioners, we strive for our learners to embrace the broader intrinsic rewards of lifelong learning and how it improves our well-being, rather than just short-term extrinsic rewards.
3. Be prepared, focused, and professional. Prior to each group exercise class, I needed to have all of my equipment ready, tested, and functioning properly. In addition, I needed to have my mind organized and be fully present to lead the class. If I was not fully prepared or became distracted by external issues, then I was demonstrating a lack of respect for my participants.
4. Mix it up. This goes along with being prepared. It was easy for me to do the same or to have a similar routine for each class, and some level of repetition is good for the participants because they can anchor on learning specific complex moves. However, keeping each class fresh and lively was essential to gaining engagement from everyone involved and keeping them all motivated, including both seasoned and novice participants.
5. Respect everyone's time. Starting and ending on time demonstrates respect for the participants and the teaching process, as all involved have other obligations competing for their time and energy. I often taught group exercise classes that were sandwiched in between other classes, so I had to focus on maximizing the time that I had with the participants and not encroaching on the time for the next class. As NPD practitioners, we are often faced with similar time constraints as our learners are busy clinicians who require targeted, relevant, and effective education in a narrow window of time.
6. Safety cannot be overlooked. Participants do not come to group exercise class thinking they are going to get hurt or collapse, though it is important to be cognizant of physical safety at all times. However, participants do come to class with anxiety over how they will perform, how they will look, and how they will be judged by others. Providing psychological safety is a topic we discuss frequently in simulation education. Participants need to be in a learning environment that allows them to push their limits safely and without fear of being reprimanded or ridiculed. Ensuring the physical and psychological safety of the group exercise class was an essential responsibility for me as the instructor.
7. Certification is essential. As a new group exercise instructor, I was eager to learn how to teach in the best manner that I could. Two organizations provided group exercise instructor certification exams during the time that I started teaching, for which I studied and proudly passed. Currently, as an NPD practitioner, I avidly promote the value of nursing certification as being a marker of professionalism and encourage others to do the same.
8. Align with management and other staff. As with all education endeavors, management has to be a collaborative partner or the educational endeavor will fail. I also learned that other stakeholders, such as employees in the health club, can be outstanding supporters of group exercise instructors if they are engaged with the class offerings. It was not acceptable for me to go into a health club and just teach my class. Rather, I had to integrate with the other staff members, support the initiatives of the health club, and ensure that what I taught was in congruence with management's vision for the facility.
9. Be open, approachable, and authentic. The instructor's personality plays a big role in how participants view an exercise class. I learned it was essential to show my authentic self and have positive regard for all of the participants. I had to continually reflect inward, and evaluate how I was being perceived by others so that I could be the best instructor that I was capable of being.
10. Ultimately, it's all about you. In simulation, we have learned that having good space, technology, and other resources can be helpful, but are not essential. I could teach a great group exercise class in a mediocre room with suboptimal equipment, yet the class would engage, work hard, and have fun. It is all about the instructor and the energy that they bring to the class. As an NPD practitioner, remember that participants come to you to experience you and your unique gifts. If you are able to share these gifts openly and freely, the learners will keep coming and wanting more.
Have you had other experiences teaching beyond being an NPD practitioner that have shaped how you approach your current work? What life lessons did you learn? How have you applied these lessons to your current role? Please share your reflections by e-mailing me at mailto:[email protected].