Academic Nurse Educator Roles, Competencies, and Cultural Care

Introduction to the Academic Nurse Educator Role

Following an engagement with a practicing Academic Nurse Educator (ANE), it became clear that her primary role is the facilitation of nursing student learning. She is charged with teaching, mentoring, and inspiring the next generation of nurses. In seeking to perform this role effectively, she relies on the curriculum in place and ensures that the content and strategies embraced are firmly rooted in both evidence-based practice and educational theory.

The ANE noted that the number of students enrolled in the program she teaches has increased significantly over the last three years. More specifically, she observed that her school has witnessed higher enrollment rates during the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly in baccalaureate nursing programs. She estimates the current total student population to be approximately 650 students.

Some of the courses she presently teaches include community and public health nursing, nursing leadership and management, and nursing research. She describes working in a highly collaborative environment and characterizes her school as a multicultural setting that brings together persons from diverse ethnicities and cultures.

As a facilitator of learning, the ANE actively engages in curriculum development, supports the learning process by deploying relevant strategies to aid knowledge acquisition, monitors student progress, and ensures that nursing students are well-equipped to apply nursing theory in practice settings. Her mandate also extends to providing ongoing mentorship and relevant feedback to learners in order to reinforce their foundational knowledge and experience.

Core Competencies, Cultural Awareness, and Interprofessional Education

The relevance of quality education cannot be overstated when it comes to assuring the competence of the next generation of healthcare professionals. Without the requisite skills, capabilities, and knowledge, nurses cannot effectively execute their mandate in clinical settings — especially in the delivery of quality, safe patient care. As Ezzeddine (2017) notes, 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 also serve as advocates for ongoing professional development. According to Utley (2010), 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).

Being a successful academic nurse educator requires a wide range of skills. One such skill is the ability to communicate with others in clear and effective formats. Without strong communication abilities, it is difficult to convey important information — a crucial limitation in a role centered on instruction and program design. Success in this role also requires effective collaboration. As an academic nurse educator, one is routinely expected to work with interprofessional teams in the implementation and evaluation of educational programs. Familiarity with the relevant core competencies, as established by the National League for Nursing (NLN), is equally essential.

The NLN has identified eight core competencies for nurse educators: facilitating learning; facilitating learner development and socialization; using assessment and evaluation strategies; participating in curriculum design and evaluation of program outcomes; functioning as a change agent and leader; pursuing continuous quality improvement in the nurse educator role; engaging in scholarship; and functioning within the educational environment. The NLN is a national organization committed to, among other things, fostering excellence in nursing education.

The best advice the ANE received at the onset of her career was to become culturally competent. She regards this as the most important early guidance because, as an academic nurse educator, she routinely engages with students and colleagues drawn from a culturally diverse pool. Without deliberate efforts to develop cultural competence, she would not have been able to appreciate and embrace the various belief systems and cultures that differ from her own — which would have significantly hampered her effectiveness. This is the same advice she would give to any novice academic nurse educator, particularly in a world that has become an increasingly connected global village.

Cultural competency begins with learning about oneself — one's own values, beliefs, and roots — and then extending that awareness to other cultures. Diverse cultural insights can be gathered by engaging relevant materials and conversing with persons from other backgrounds. This is especially valuable because it helps one understand that people hold differing opinions and perspectives shaped by their upbringing and culture. Formal diversity training is also a worthwhile option.

The ANE has participated in multiple interprofessional educational activities. One prominent example is simulation, in which team interactions in health and patient care settings are imitated in a controlled environment. Originally deployed extensively in the aviation industry, simulation has gained significant traction in nursing education. The simulation activities the ANE has participated in have included electronic training manikins as well as human participants, and have developed key capabilities in collaboration, teamwork, and improved communication.

A second interprofessional educational activity is clinical observation, in which students closely observe an actual interprofessional team working in a relevant clinical setting. For instance, students can develop crucial skills in chronic condition management by observing interactions among members of an interprofessional team. As Diggele, Roberts, Burgess, and Mellis (2020) point out, interprofessional education is of great relevance in cultivating collaborative practice — enabling professionals to learn with, from, and about each other.

Technology, Challenges, and the ANE as Change Agent

Interprofessional educational activities can be understood as the working together of learners across disciplines to promote teamwork, collaboration, and interprofessional communication. In clinical settings, improved outcomes are achieved when practitioners from different fields collaborate effectively. In educational settings, students can exchange ideas and share experiences through such activities, later supporting what may be called collaborative practice. If nursing practice is to be meaningfully transformed, nursing curricula must embrace the various formats of interprofessional education — equipping future nursing professionals with the skills needed to interact productively with those outside their profession in service of better patient care.

Over the last few decades, technology has transformed nursing education to a great extent. The time and space constraints that once limited access to educational resources are no longer significant barriers. Today, students have instantaneous and convenient access to a wide range of educational tools, including electronic textbooks and reference guides. Web-based simulations enable learners to engage in interactive learning activities in virtual settings — an effective way to explore practical aspects of clinical practice. Technology has, to a large extent, reinforced nursing education. The role of the educator in this context is largely facilitative and supportive — researching and exploring opportunities to deploy technology in ways that advance student learning.

The ANE identified several challenges in the role. One is the difficulty of keeping the curriculum up-to-date with knowledge about important aspects of the profession, including the theoretical basis of practice. Ensuring students acquire the most current and applicable skills for clinical settings is critical, yet many colleagues do not engage in continuous learning. Another challenge is insufficient incentives for the role — particularly financial. The ANE noted that compensation does not compare favorably to other roles with similar demands, a concern she has heard colleagues raise frequently. While many educators find joy and fulfillment in preparing the next generation of professionals, inadequate financial incentives could affect motivation and may contribute to a future shortage of academic nurse educators.

Of the challenges noted, keeping the curriculum current is considered the most critical. Nursing is a continually evolving profession, and what was effective practice yesterday may not reflect today's best understanding. If students are to be well-prepared for clinical settings, their training must reflect the most current nursing knowledge. Academic nurse educators must therefore commit to continuous education in order to keep their own knowledge and skills current.

Academic nurse educators tend to engage in research more extensively than nurse managers or staff nurses, given their responsibility to synthesize credible, practical, and relevant information in the development of nursing skills and curricula. As a change agent, the ANE seeks opportunities to incorporate research findings from peer-reviewed sources — particularly regarding superior medical interventions — in order to contribute to better outcomes in clinical settings. Within her organization, this is achieved through the embrace and advancement of evidence-based practice.

Academic nurse educators also champion the advancement of nursing education and advocate for policies that enhance the conduct and methodology of nursing education. They promote policies designed to ensure that nursing education remains responsive to the future needs of the profession. In playing this advocacy role, they may reach out to relevant stakeholders with proposals or write articles addressing contemporary nursing education concerns. They also seek to shape future nursing practice by formulating and implementing creative and innovative practices in the academic realm.