I'd like to share with you one of my best experiences as a critical care and leadership nursing instructor. Last month, I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my former students in my hospital's cafeteria. He was now the manager of the hemodialysis clinic, successfully running the entire department. We hugged and he introduced me to one of his new hires. He told the new staff member that I was his former clinical instructor, mentor, and role model for his management and leadership style. As an educator, it's difficult to know how much of each lesson is implemented by students, so I asked him if I really made such an impact. He enthusiastically replied that I did. I told him how happy I was to see that he was now such a thoughtful manager. I'll never again doubt the impact that an educator can have on his or her students-every second spent as a role model for the next generation makes healthcare better for everyone.

-Ali Tehrani, MSN, RN, CCRN, ENLS