Ways to Befriend your Faculty

Let's face it: Nursing school is difficult. But believe it or not, befriending the faculty member that just killed you on that Med Surg exam can actually benefit your life in several ways. 

I have found that befriending faculty within the program setting has allowed me to become even more integrated into the school. As I have written before I have been involved in a few clubs that are nursing based, all of which have faculty advisors. Being able to socialize with faculty outside of school through club meetings allows you to see a totally different side of the faculty member and you might end up appreciating them on a whole new level.

Also, through my on-campus job as a Nursing Student Lab Worker I have also become closer with the faculty that regularly utilize the lab for teaching. This has given me a new found respect for those faculty members because I am able to see the work that goes into preparing for skill demonstration days. 

 If your theory professor also doubles as a clinical instructor, that is also a perfect way to befriend your professor. The clinical setting can be very intimate between students and their instructor because you are spending so much time together learning. Clinical instructors want to watch you do your assessments, help you pass medications, and push you to further your understanding of your assigned patients. If your theory teacher is also your clinical instructor that means that you are spending a whole extra block of hours with them where they have the opportunity to see a whole new side of you. 

You are able to show your instructor how you are as a professional, a learner, and a regular person. 

Now, if you do not have the opportunity to see your faculty outside of the classroom, it is always nice to make yourself noticed inside of the classroom. 

I know that sounds like a very scary concept sometimes - but, little things like remaining engaged during lecture, asking questions during and after class, and helping your peers understand a concept are all things that teachers will begin to notice the more they are done. 

You might be asking yourself right about now: Michelle, why would we necessarily want to befriend our faculty?

One reason is it lets you feel more connected to your actual nursing school, which will make you feel more fulfilled about your experience in nursing school. Also, nursing professors have certainly been in nursing school before - which means that they completely understand what you are going through (even though you might not think so), and they might be able to offer perfect advice for any problems you might be experiencing at the moment.

Also, nursing is very much a close knit profession and letters of recommendation are required for job applications. If you are applying to a hospital that is associated with your nursing school (like a facility you go to clinical) than a letter of recommendation written by a professor might take you a long way through the interviewing process. Connections are very important in nursing school and the more a teacher knows about you outside of your class grade, the more personable a letter they will be able to write for you. 


I personally love the feeling of being able to walk down the hallway and greet my faculty members knowing that they are able to remember who I am because I have been involved past the semester we shared together. I hope that this blog post allows you to look at your student-faculty relationships in a different way, and inspires you to break out of your shell and make a long-lasting relationship with them. 

Thank you so much for reading!

- Michelle