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At the end of the first semester, Mrs. Elisa Ferrer, the Level I and II Department Head of the College of Nursing mentioned in an evaluation of a faculty member that the faculty members shall no longer has to stick to one year level while teaching in the university.
First Phase Prior to the above circumstances, the faculty members of the College of Nursing had had their departments (Level I & II, Level III, and Level IV). This means that each of them assumed the role of “pure lecturers” or “pure CI’s (Clinical Instructors)”. Those in the Level I and II Department used to come to class to lecture in subjects like Health Care and Health Ethics; in contrast, those in Level III or Level IV departments were employed only as Clinical Instructors who supervised student nurses in their hospital duties and community immersions. Others became CI’s and lecturers at the same time but still mentoring students in only one year level.
Several conflicts aroused within the students and instructors at that time. Instructors in the higher levels tend to expect that the skills to be practiced or the theories to be utilized were already learned by the students as early as in Level II. Financial Distribution Apart from the variations in salaries received by mentors in different ranks, compensation received by instructors in the College of Nursing varied base on the nature of subjects handled by them. Those who have handled clinical duties received more than those who served as lecturers. The multi-level system insured the faulty members that the lecture-clinical duty subject ratio is in a state of equilibrium. This semester, the instructors began assuming the multi-level role. With this structure of the teaching force of the college, the Nurse-Instructors may be able to practice holistically their chosen profession. Reactions from Teachers “Nevertheless, this setup helps us interact with the students of the lower levels as they may become our future students. Also, it helps us to gauge efficiently the theories learned by the students and for us to know what to expect from them when they advance to the higher levels,” stated by Mrs. Josefa Capuyan, currently teaching in Levels II and IV. So far, the multi-level system received no negative comments except for some minor matters like the “chaotic” schedules given to them and the headache it brought to the department heads. When asked about the change in the multi-level setting, Mrs. Florence Pulido, both a clinical instructor and a lecturer, stated that no perceivable problem is visible so far. She has been teaching student nurses in the third level and now received teaching load in Health Ethics, a subject taught to second year students. Holistic Approach The multi level system enables the Nurse-Instructors to practice their profession as a whole. This protocol does not limit the scope of their jobs to specific areas but the theories they learned are also being utilized. It also assures the flexibility of the instructors and their readiness to teach every subject in the College with competence and confidence. In the long run, the said action shall make the instructors experience teaching every subject within their level of intellect and know the feeling of hands-on approach to the fields related to the nursing profession and not just stick to a single area and become less sharp in the others.
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