This document discusses the role and responsibilities of a nurse educator, specifically teaching pathophysiology. It focuses on type 2 diabetes as an example topic. The nurse educator's goals for students would be to identify appropriate treatment using the nursing process by relating pathophysiological changes to patients, apply knowledge of pathological changes to nursing care, and improve patient health outcomes through analysis and education. During the course, students will learn about several conditions seen in clinical practice, with a focus on diabetes and how to assess, treat, manage, and educate patients about their diagnosis and health.

1. Education is a valuable process of learning. It is gaining
knowledge, skills, insights, and values. There are many
different types of education that are available for everyone, and
there are many ways that a student can be educated. Becoming
an educator for the nursing field gives the responsibility of
educating future health care professionals by guiding and
assisting students through their journey of becoming a
professional licensed registered nurse. A nurse educator can
teach a variety of subjects and in a variety of different settings.
From becoming a clinical nursing instructor where you can
educate nursing students at a hospital or a clinic, while teaching
them nursing skills and how to care for patients, to a nursing
professor who lectures students at a university, the options are
many. The selected topic that would be taught as a nursing
instructor in an institution of higher learning would be
pathophysiology. Pathophysiology is the study of the physical
and biological abnormalities that develop in the human body
due to an underlying disease. Nurses who are able to recognize
signs and symptoms of these different diseases in their patients,
will be able to provide their patients with high quality care
("What is pathophysiology in nursing?," 2020). One of the main
topics that I would like to discuss in pathophysiology is type
two diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus type 2 is a chronic condition
where there is an impairment in the way that the human body
uses and stores glucose. Eventually, this impairment causes
high levels of sugars in the blood, which can then lead to other
problems of the circulatory, nervous, and immune systems
(Mayo Clinic, 2019). Type two diabetes was known mostly as
“adult onset diabetes”. However, type 2 diabetes can be
developed during childhood as well, especially since there has
been an increase in the number of young children who are obese
(Mayo Clinic, 2019). Obesity has been known to be one of the
main causes of type two diabetes. Having excess weight can
cause the body to become less sensitive to the insulin that is

2. released from the pancreas. When this occurs, it can cause
insulin resistance which means the body is no longer responding
to the insulin, and the sugar levels in the blood will still be high
(Mayo Clinic, 2019).
As a future health care professional who will be working in the
United States, it is important to know the pathophysiology of
type two diabetes, how to manage this chronic condition, as
well as how to educate others about it. According to The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), in the
United States there has been a prevalence of obesity increase
from 30.5% to 42.4%, and the prevalence of severe obesity
increased from 4.7% to 9.2%. Conditions that are related to
obesity include heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer,
and type two diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2020) . All of these conditions can be preventable,
which is why it is so important as nurses to be able to educate
others about this topic, as well as to use education in our plan
of care to prevent this condition, or help others manage it to the
best of our ability.
As my transitioning to the role of a professional nurse
educator approaches, there are three goals that I would like
students to be able to accomplish after the completion of the
course. The goals are as follows: The student will be able to
identify appropriate treatment of diseases and conditions using
the nursing process by relating pathophysiologic changes to the
individual, the student will be able to apply the knowledge of
pathological changes in body as they apply to nursing care, and
the student will be able to improve patient health outcomes by
analyzing and educating patients individually specific to their
condition or diagnosis. These outcomes are all reflected in the
course content as they are measurable and they are descriptions
of the knowledge and skills that learners will gain after the
completion of this course. Learners will be able to demonstrate
their knowledge using measures such as exams, projects,
research papers, and more. During this course, students will
learn about several conditions that are seen in the clinical

3. environment. Students will specifically be educated on Diabetes
Mellitus, and will learn how to analyze, observe, and assess this
condition as well as, how to treat and manage. Future nurses
will have gained knowledge and insights on how to educate and
teach others regarding their diagnosis, physical, and mental
health while caring for their condition.
Learning Strategies
Nurse educators need to educate on subjects in a
stimulating way where it can spark the learner’s interest and
make the subject more interesting for learners. There are several
factors that consist in making this possible. This includes the
educators' learning styles, personality, their enthusiasm for the
subject, and their use of teaching strategies (DeYoung, 2015).
Using a variety of strategies can be part of the educators
teaching style. Being able to use a personal style such as
sharing personal stories, experiences, and insights can catch the
learner's attention (DeYoung, 2015).
There are many learning strategies that can be used during the
course.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, June 29).

4. Obesity is a common, serious, and costly disease. Retrieved
from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
DeYoung, S. (2015). Teaching strategies for nurse educators
(3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Mayo Clinic. (2019, January 9). Type 2 diabetes - Symptoms
and causes. Retrieved from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-
diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193
What is pathophysiology in nursing? (2020, February 5).
Retrieved from https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/what-is-
pathophysiology-in-nursing/