A Note from the Instructors: My role as a Boot Camp instructor

by Sharme Brodie, RN, CCDS

I have enjoyed being an instructor for ACDIS and HCPro for almost three years, now. Having the opportunity to travel across the country and teach others about the CDI profession has definitely been a rewarding experience for me. Even though each Boot Camp covers the same material, each class is unique—the attendees change and bring with them different mix experience and goals.

As an instructor, the best possible outcome is to have everyone go back to their facilities with their newly-acquired knowledge and immediately start applying it. Some may go on to attend another Boot Camp or the annual ACDIS conference for further training and insights. Others contact us directly with questions they encounter when they return to their jobs.

But, for the most part, once they leave our class, they are capable of performing their jobs without us—in fact, I think that’s one of the best indicators that we’ve done our job well, when we’re not needed and our students flourish in their CDI positions.

Sometimes we hear from one our attendees “just because.” The other day, I received a one-of-a-kind “thank you” from a student that not only made my day, but made me remember why I wanted this job to begin with and why I continue to do it.

In my class, during the circulatory system modules, I use an analogy with a school bus to explain how an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) affects DRG assignment and principal diagnosis selection. So, this student sent me a personalized school bus figurine. This was absolutely the best thank you and I truly appreciate this student’s kind words and gesture.

I have had mentors and teachers that certainly changed my life. But, when you are the instructor, you don’t often think about how you could possibly affect someone else’s career. The shift to the CDI role is one of those career changes that can be wonderful or devastating, and it’s not always immediately apparent if the role is right for a particular person. I do my best as a teacher, as a mentor, to bridge the knowledge gap and equip my students with the information they need to take on this new career. This particular student wanted me to know the affect I had on her career and, in doing so, reminded me why I do what I do, and why I love doing what I do.

Editor’s note: Brodie is a CDI education specialist for HCPro in Middleton, Massachusetts. Contact her at sbrodie@hcpro.com. For information regarding CDI Boot Camps offered by HCPro, visit www.hcprobootcamps.com.