Mary
Goering
May 2017
Mary
Goering
University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Minneapolis
,
MN
United States

 

 

 

Our profession has a bright future as mentored under the wings of Dr. Goering.
This award recognizes faculty who understand and recognize the various kinds of knowledge used in practice and who help students to understand, appreciate and articulate that knowledge for practice. I have observed, first-hand in her clinical teaching the qualities that exemplify the values embodied in this award. I became acquainted with her scholarly teaching when I was asked to observe her clinical teaching this spring. So profoundly impressed I was with the scholarly nature of her teaching of evidence-based practice approaches to our students, that I was compelled to write this letter of nomination for this year’s DAISY award for Scholarship in Practice.

I observed Dr. Goering leading the clinical conference in Nursing 4705 this spring term. I received an email that she sent out to her students that was informative and highly professional. She models professional behavior to her students. In her email, she made students quite aware of what would happen during the post-conference. When I attended the class, I observed that she had something of an awesome presence in the classroom. She set an atmosphere that was formal, yet highly interactive. This set the stage for students to present their scholarly reports on their learning and patient care encounters, and their review of evidence that supported their work within their individual patient care environments. Mary was well organized in her work and clearly communicated expectations to her students. This was obvious in the clarity with which they presented the information about their patients’ conditions and their treatments in the hospital settings. The students were totally prepared, respectful, and attentive.

Dr. Goering also uses evidence-based teaching practices in the classroom. She employed the process of "think-pair-share," an effective practice to stimulate the expansion of learning from the students’ clinical encounters. Students were encouraged by Dr. Goering to think about how the research was being used in their clinical work environment. It was impressive how the students were so totally engaged in this process. Dr. Goering encouraged them to think deeper by her use of a questioning format. Students seemed to embrace the responsibility of knowing the evidence behind the treatments that they delivered. During the hour I observed, the students were totally productive and engaged in the well-planned activities of the post-conference.

Dr. Goering also had a provision for a "show-and-tell.” In this process, the students presented their research and then a scholarly approach to practice that Mary had cultivated. It was evident that the quality of practice was raised as they applied their synthesis of evidence to the practice setting. Dr. Goering models the appetite for evidence and evidence-based practice in the classroom. Words that were spoken and repeated continuously by Dr. Goering and her students were “evidence” and “clinical trials.” I taught this course many years ago when the course was first developed. The course has come a long way since then, and Dr. Goering is a great role model for its conduct. This was a highly productive hour. I was proud of our students and proud of Dr. Goering’s professionalism and scholarly teaching of our students. She is a great asset to our school. Students were encouraged to continue to pursue evidence and knowledge and bring information to the clinical site. Dr. Goering engaged with her students so patiently and modeled professional behaviors that the students were sure not to miss. She promoted sharing throughout the post-conference time. I believe that students relished the opportunity to share their experience and in this process, they expanded on their understanding.

Dr. Goering provided a wonderful summary wrap-up and ended the conference on time. I witnessed an amazing learning environment that that was totally unexpected regarding the amazingly high level of scholarly conduct and focus on the evidence. Dr. Goering is a role model for promoting inquiry among her students. She answered questions knowledgeably and thoughtfully. Literature searches had been done by the students and Dr. Goering focused her questions to expand the content depth and enabled students to think for themselves. She is developing their critical thinking to high levels. She is clearly preparing students for scholarly practice and future graduate study.

In summary, Dr. Goering is a mature, seasoned faculty member who takes the responsibility of preparing our future generation of practitioners who will have their “eyes on evidence.” Her focus on scholarship for practice and the transmission of this essential element of quality care will continue to make a difference in years to come. Our profession has a bright future as mentored under the wings of Dr. Goering.