The Role of Nurse Educator

NURSE EDUCATOR

The Nurse Educator Role

Part A

What would you consider your main role in the training of skilled professionals in the nursing realm – specifically in formal academic settings?

Well, my main role in this case is to equip nursing students with the relevant nursing skills. In so doing, I tap into not only my academic expertise, but also my clinical experience. To be able to effectively fulfil their mandate, future nurses must have their learning properly facilitated within the nursing program faculty. I consider myself a key stakeholder in the facilitation of the said learning.

Why do you refer to yourself as a ‘stakeholder’?

Because I do not function alone. I work in close collaboration with others in this role.

What are some of the qualifications that someone should have to successfully serve in your role?

First and foremost, to be allowed to teach nursing curriculum in an institution of higher learning or teaching hospital, you must have an advanced nursing degree. Next, you must have the prerequisite experience as well as the necessary sets of skills that make it possible for you to implement nursing education curriculum.

What are some of those skills?

Some of the skills I have found critical in this case are inclusive of excellent communication abilities, good leadership capabilities, the ability to make learners see the bigger picture, ability to function well in team settings (given that this is a collaborative effort as I have already pointed out), and superior organizing and planning skills.

From research, I have gathered that in addition to being involved in the facilitation of student learning, academic nurse educators are also actively involved in leading change towards nursing education improvement. Could you please expound more on this latter role?

Yes. That’s actually very correct. In as much as we are faculty members in nursing schools, we are also champions of change in as far as the further improvement of nursing curriculum is concerned. This is to say that we also have a key role to play in the transformation of education systems for posterity. To a large extent, this is a particularly important role given that like is the case in any other profession, nursing practice demands keep changing on a daily basis. We must be alive to this reality and align learning with these new demands in the professional settings.

Could you please give an example of such a change?

Yes. Today, there is an increased need to ensure that nursing students are equipped with practical cultural competency skills. This is more so the case given that the world has become a global village and clinical settings are increasingly reflective of this reality. Given that nursing students are likely to encounter persons from all walks of life and interact with persons from diverse backgrounds, there is need to ensure that the nursing education curriculum integrates and evaluates cultural competency in nursing students – especially with regard to developing better understanding for (and being able to handle) diversity.

What is the job outlook for the nurse educator role?

I am convinced that the role of nurse educator will be even more important in the future. This is because skilled nurses will continue to be in high demand across the world. As a matter of fact, as retired registered nurses exit the workforce, we are going to require skilled personnel to fill the roles left vacant.

How is that a boom for nursing educators? It appears that the trend you just mentioned will largely favor those who would wish to go into active practice.

Who will be educating the additional nurses needed to avert shortage in the future? (Laughter from both of us). We are going to need more skilled and competent teachers to ensure the supply of the next generation of skilled professionals. Further, more nurse educators will be needed to help in the further development of the system in which nursing education takes place.

Nursing happens to be a collaborative role. Is this also the case for the nurse educator role?

Yes, very much so. My role as a nurse educator extends far beyond that of mere “teaching.” I am also a scholar and collaborator. To succeed in this role, you have to work in close collaboration with others. In my role as a collaborator, I function alongside numerous other stakeholders to either facilitate student learning, develop appropriate theoretical frameworks in education, or advance nursing research.

Could you give me a few examples of such stakeholders or persons you closely collaborate with?

Those I closely collaborate with include, but they are not limited to; peers, program faculty and administrators, practicing nurses in various clinical and healthcare settings, as well as the students themselves.

(NB: All the 10 core questions have been included in the appendices section)

Part C

Section 1

It is important to note that the relevance of quality education cannot be overstated in efforts to assure the competence of the next generation of healthcare professionals. In the absence of the relevant skills, capabilities, and knowledge, nurses cannot be able to effectively execute their mandate in clinical settings – especially when it comes to the delivery of quality and safe patient care. Nurse educators come in handy in the appropriate and adequate preparation of future nurses. For instance, in the words of Ezzeddine (2017), nursing educators ought to ensure that they “encourage students to develop the critical thinking skills essential in the nurse’s ability to identify current or potential problems or risks that impact upon patient safety” (p. 47). In practice settings, nurse educators happen to be, amongst other things, advocates for ongoing professional development. Indeed, according to Utley (2010), in such settings, nurse educators actively foster “staff in their continual growth and development to improve care decisions by serving as role models for evidence-based decision making” (p. 112).

Section 2

Within the parent institution, the nurse educator takes the lead in the provision of effective leadership. In this case, the nurse educator ensures the delivery of contemporary nursing education and takes part in the assessing how effective the parent institution is in the dissemination of nursing education. The nurse educator also functions as a change agent within the parent institution. In this case, the nurse educator essentially seeks to advance and encourage best practices by, amongst other things, helping with the formulation of procedures and policies meant to advance nursing competence.

Section 3

There are a number of stakeholders that are instrumental to the responsibilities as well as role of a nurse educator. Some of the stakeholders that were mentioned in my interview with a nurse educator (as has been referenced elsewhere in this exercise) are inclusive of; peers, program faculty and administrators, practicing nurses in various clinical and healthcare settings, and the students themselves. Two of the external stakeholders that could be deemed vital to an academic nurse educator’s roles and responsibilities are; practicing nurses in various clinical and healthcare settings and professional associations such as ANA. To begin with, professional organizations such as the American Nurses Association (ANA) provide limitless opportunities for continuing education. The nurse educator needs to keep up with the various trends and new knowledge in the field so that he may build up his own competence and pass on the relevant information and skills to students. On the other hand, as external stakeholders, practicing nurses in diverse clinical and healthcare settings could provide very useful insights regarding the changes, adjustments, and inclusions that ought to be made in curriculum to ensure that learners are equipped with practical skills to promote their success in real-life clinical settings. These ideas and suggestions could further buttress the role of the nurse educator as an educational advocate.

There are various strategies that could be deployed in attempts to promote communication with external stakeholders. These are inclusive of penning articles to be published in nursing publications and attending seminars and workshops bringing together nurses sourced from diverse practice settings. In penning articles for nursing publications, the nurse educator would be inviting various perspectives from peers and promoting further discussion on issues of relevance to nursing education. Feedback sourced on this front could be vital to the role and responsibilities of the nurse educator. On the other hand, attending seminars and workshops would provide a more direct opportunity for the nurse educator to communicate with peers and other professionals in the field, and thus exchange ideas and viewpoints about a wide range of issues relating to nursing education.

Section 4

A nurse educator could facilitate the development of interprofessional collaborative efforts by embracing a team-based approach. This is to say that the nurse educator should be aware of the fact that he works in a setting that demands the input of various internal stakeholders (i.e. program faculty) and the perspectives of external stakeholders (i.e. practicing nurses in diverse clinical and healthcare settings). Indeed, according to Utley (2010), the orientation of a nurse educator should be that of a team player. Next, the nurse educator could advance the development of interprofessional collaborative efforts by actively contributing to continuing research on various issues of relevance to nursing education. For instance, a nurse educator could work jointly with peers to, amongst other things, investigate the future skills of relevance to the effective performance of the nursing role in practical settings.

Part D

The interview that I conducted with the nurse educator was quite informative and in addition to highlighting various issues relating to nursing education, it also identified certain challenges in the realm of nursing. Two of the said challenges are; the need for culturally competent care and the shortage of nurses. In this discussion, I will concern myself with the need for culturally competent care.

Section 1

According to the nurse educator I interviewed, there is a growing need to ensure that nursing students are equipped with cultural competency skills owing to the fact that the world is increasingly becoming a global village – effectively meaning that people from all walks of life now relate and interact on a more consistent basis. Without cultural competence, nurses cannot be able to perform in an effective manner in practical settings. As a matter of fact, as Linda (2018) points out, cultural competence ought to be seen as the foundation of effective nurse-patient relationships. With this in mind, it is clear that the relevance of culturally competent nursing education cannot be overstated. It therefore follows that the nurse educator ought to ensure that he or she acquires the essential cultural competence skills so as to be able to equip nursing students with the same. This is in addition to serving as an advocate for the inclusion of cultural competency concepts in nursing education curriculum.

Section 2

It is important to note that according to Linda (2018), “not all nursing educational practices are culturally competent” (p. 20). This, according to the author, is despite the fact that there is sufficient evidence indicating increased diversity in the U.S. population. This is an assertion that is further advanced by Shin, Fine, and Chen (2016) who make an observation to the effect that the health needs of the increasingly diverse U.S. population will only be fully addressed if deliberate efforts are made to ensure that nurses are culturally competent. Towards this end, the authors further observe that there is need for strategies to be implemented to guarantee cultural competence education in nursing. One way to achieve this, according to the authors, is by ensuring that the nurse educators themselves are culturally competent. As a matter of fact, in the words of the authors, “having culturally competent nurse educators is crucial to preparing future nurses to meet the health needs of a diverse and multicultural United States population” (Shin, Fine, and Chen, 2016, p. 225). In the final analysis, it would also be prudent to note that according to Kaihlanen, Hietapakka, and Heponiemi (2019), patients have become more linguistically and culturally diverse than was the case several decades ago. As a consequence, the authors call for nursing education and training efforts to be appreciative of this reality. Thus, according to the authors, increasing the cultural awareness of nurses is instrumental in efforts to promote nurse-patent engagements and communication – which are in themselves key features of quality healthcare.

Section 3

One solution that could be adopted in attempts to promote cultural diversity in nursing education is increasing faculty diversity (Linda, 2018). Indeed, according to the author, at present, the diversity of students (as well as communities) is not reflected by the faculty diversity levels. Enhanced diversity at the cultural level is of great relevance because as Linda (2018) points out, learning happens to be a contextual undertaking. Faculty diversity could be achieved via the adoption of the appropriate recruitment, selection, and retention strategies. Secondly, there is also need to modify learning as well as evaluation approaches to ensure that they are reflective of the scenario on the ground. Teaching and learning techniques, thus, ought to be reviewed and adapted when (and if) necessary to ensure that nurses of the future are culturally competent.

Part E

Section 1

In as far as teaching is concerned, I will ensure that I faithfully execute the responsibilities expected of me in this particular role. It therefore follows that in addition to being actively involved in the design of curricula, I will also be engaged in the basic role of teaching and evaluation of students. It is also important to note that I am fully aware of the fact that in this role, I will also be called upon to serve as a mentor and role model for learners.

Being a professional committed to scientific advancement, I also intend to actively engage in scholarly work, i.e. with regard to continuing research and peer review efforts. On this front, I will be guided by Boyer’s proposals relating to the four areas of academic relevance that could be involved in scholarship. It therefore follows that in addition to discovery of new knowledge, I will be committed to the deployment of the acquired knowledge in learning settings so as to promote student learning, as well as the application of the said knowledge to the various problems in society.