Teach what?: reflections on the transition from hospital teaching to teaching in the community.

For a nurse educator, the sudden assignment to teaching in the community after years of hospital teaching and practice can cause distress. While persons with such experience do not possess the skills to teach the care of aggregate populations, they can be successful in teaching students to care for patients in their homes and in other community settings. Participating in on-site orientation, developing perspectives that recognize patient autonomy and the significance of family context, and using more discovery learning strategies enable faculty to achieve course goals and to contribute to curricular goals.