Students will learn from our role modeling whether or not you purposefully present yourself as a role model.  Two of the most significant aspects of learning accomplished through role modeling are critical thinking and professional role behavior in interaction with patients, interdisciplinary colleagues, and others.

Your thinking is invisible--just as the student's thinking process in invisible unless you ask for responses that call for the students to describe his or her thinking.  Make your thinking visible to teach judgment.  Think-out-loud whenever appropriate.  Since thinking-out-loud is not a very natural behavior, practice.  As you go about patient management without a student person, challenge yourself to formulate a description of your thought process.

You will find some times inappropriate for thinking-out-loud (because of concerns about the effect on a patient who is present, or because of concerns about the effect on interdisciplinary or political relationships).  In those situations, alert the student in advance to attend to particular critical features of your behavior.  Afterward, ask the student questions about his or her observations and ask the student to interpret your rationale.  This approach is a version of a "pop quiz" on thinking-out-loud.

When you are thinking-out-loud, call attention to the essential features of your actions.  In some situations there may be a crucial sequence of actions or other features which are more important than others.

Let the student see the consequences of your actions.  Seeing your favorable outcomes and tying them to specific actions focuses the student's attention and motivates.

Brookfield, an adult education authority, refers to our mistakes as our "instructional friends."  Our instructional friends teach us how to improve, what to watch out for, and many other valuable lessons.  You will find students extremely attentive to your war stories of valuable lessons learned from mistakes.

Obviously you do not want to present yourself as an incompetent buffoon.  But wise, experienced professionals know that everyone makes mistakes occasionally or at least can see a better course of action with 20/20 hindsight.  Use an occasional, "I remember the time …" or "I learned this the hard way when …"  This approach is a variety of role modeling that draws upon reflection on practice.  With this approach you can sometimes prevent student errors.  Students may also have greater willingness to approach you with their uncertainties if they perceive that you have a reasonable tolerance for error.  This certainly is not meant to suggest lowering performance standards or quality of care.  Rather, the intent is that when mistakes occur, as they inevitably will, find the learning opportunity as well as apply whatever corrective action is indicated.

The approach that you model with your patients profoundly affects the student's approach.  For example, asking the patient's permission for the student to participate in his care, protecting patient privacy, warning the patient of sensations or discomfort, thanking the patient for accepting the student, offering to discuss any questions with the patient and family.

Wiseman (1994) identified highly salient role model behaviors as perceived by baccalaureate nursing students as show in the box below.  While some are peculiar to undergraduate, acute care experiences, many apply to graduate, primary care experiences as well.