Free Essay: Nurse Educator Program Competencies

The National League for Nursing (NLN) Core Competencies for Nursing Educators were developed to offer a more comprehensive charter for the preparation of nurse educators entering the field, and to ensure proper implementation of their role (Kalb, 2018).These competencies also enable evaluation of the practice of the nurse educator, and advancement of the scholarship of the nursing faculty and establishment of lifelong professional development in the nursing profession (Kalb, 2018). The NLN Core Competencies for Nursing Educators include facilitating learning, facilitation of learner socialization and development, utilization of evaluation and assessment strategies, participation in designing of the curriculum and evaluation of outcomes of the programs, functioning as a leader and a change agent, engagement in scholarship, pursuing continuous quality improvement in the role of the nurse educator, and functioning within the educational environment (National League of Nursing, 2015).

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Description of the Eight NLN Core Competencies for Nurse Educators

Competency 1: Facilitate Learning

Facilitating learning refers to encouraging nursing students to have full control of their learning process (National League of Nursing, 2015). The role of nurse trainers is then defined as an organizer and a facilitator who provides the necessary resources and the required supporters to the learners. Therefore, this setting allows the learners to help each other and learn together. They can identify and apply solutions to problems and challenges that they face and come up with other developmental activities (National League of Nursing, 2015). The nursing learners can set their objectives and goals and have full responsibility for the learning assessment. Through facilitated learning, the participants can work independently in the development of an action plan, enabling them to relate well with the course contents tailored to suit their learning needs.

In facilitating learning, the educator supports and promotes the learners in the development and shaping of their learning objectives, achievements, and goals, whereas individual learning the educator is increasingly involved and responsive to the unique needs of each learner. Facilitating learning is based on the principles of more responsibility since the learner is responsible for his or her education hence leading to many benefits (Billings et al. 2019). Through facilitating learning, the learners can apply their skills such as analysis and synthesis, and the learner becomes more actively involved hence being able to interact and collaborate. Through this setting, there is no need for large amounts of materials for learning. The learners can operate in an environment that is similar to the real world, and there is room for the application of learning methods.

Competency 2: Facilitate Learner Development and Socialization

Facilitating learner development and socialization calls for the nurse educator to transform nursing students into nurses (Billings et al., 2019). The educator has the responsibility of instilling the nursing principles into the learners for future use as nurses. Therefore, the educator is required to know the different backgrounds and learning styles to enable molding the students into reliable nurses regardless of their status. The nurse educator is responsible for ensuring that the students get the help they need in setting up professional goals and providing them with professional and academic counseling to those in need. The educator is expected to embrace every learning area, such as; psychomotor, cognitive, and affective development (Billings et al., 2019). This competency emphasizes on the principle of helping the nursing learners to gather and apply information concerning the selected learning activities hence the students are encouraged to review materials repeatedly, participating actively in events, collaboration, and group work and giving specific and immediate feedback, therefore, helping them to meet their personal and professional goals.

Competency 3: Use Assessment and Evaluation Strategies

This competency proposes that various techniques are used in the evaluation of students involved in classroom learning, clinical settings, laboratory, and other domains of knowledge. Educators need to know that there are various measurements of student learning essential for the functioning of educators. Classroom assessment is a vital tool that is important in educators determining what the learners have learned. A viable assessment program helps the faculty understand methods of promoting learning and increase the educator's ability to help learners become self-directed and effective (Billings et al., 2019). Consequently, this empowers both the educators and the learners in improving the quality of classroom learning. There are various ways this competency is applied to ensure the improvement of education, which includes; empowering learners to take responsibility for their learning. The classroom assessment proposed by this competency can be utilized as a guide in making these adjustments.

Nurse educators have the responsibility of formulating program outcomes as well as developing a curriculum that reflects on the institutional mission as well as philosophy, society and community needs, and contemporary trends in healthcare, all of which enable the graduates to perform efficiently in a multicultural, complex and dynamic healthcare environment (National League of Nursing, 2015). The nursing educators need to portray mastery of knowledge of the curriculum development, development of competency statements, selecting appropriate learning activities, identifying program outcomes, as well as having the capability to determine evaluation strategies. The faculty is tasked with designing the curriculum and implementing decisions on practical educational principles, research, and theory (National League of Nursing, 2015). The developed curriculum should always be based on the needs of the learners, assessment program outcomes, and healthcare and societal trends. Nurse educators utilize various strategies in evaluation and assessment, such as developing evidence-based evaluation and assessment practices, applying multiple strategies in assessing and evaluating affective, psychomotor, and cognitive domains, and providing constructive and timely feedback to learners.

Competency 4: Participate in Curriculum Design and Evaluation of Program Outcomes

This competency proposes that nurse educators need to have sufficient knowledge concerning the process of curriculum design and the evaluation of program outcomes. Therefore, all nurse educators need to see the curriculum as a dynamic process that offers a broad framework for the program in place and still being flexible to change when the need arises to meet discipline, community, and societal needs (National League of Nursing, 2015). All the faculties must understand that the curriculum that has been developed and implemented is a whole and integral part of the entire process of molding nursing students into future efficient nurses; hence educators need to be part of the development of the curriculum.

Competency 5: Function As a Change Agent and Leader

This competency proposes that a leader is an individual who can guide and direct others towards a direction and path of change; hence, he or she is referred to as an agent of change. Nurse educators need to become change agents who have skills and knowledge to determine the required change and have the capacity to bring others on board in the implementation of the desired change (Utley, 2010). A nurse educator change agent needs to model sensitivity when supporting change and join in interdisciplinary efforts to address educational and healthcare needs within the region, nationally and internationally. The nurse educator should assess organizational efficiency in nursing education hence helping in the implementation of organizational change strategies. The educator also needs to offer leadership to the institution and the nursing program to augment nursing visibility and its contribution to the academic fraternity.

Competency 6: Pursue Continuous Quality Improvement in the Nurse Educator Role

It is of great importance for the nurse educator to strive to ensure quality improvement for the nurse educator role, especially in retaining the clinical competency. To be able to maintain effectiveness as educators, the nursing faculty needs to uphold current clinical practices, embrace technological advancements, improve learning and teaching strategies, and tackle both societal and educational issues that have an impact on the nursing practice and nursing education. Maintaining clinical competency is vital as it presents an opportunity for positive role modeling. Nurse educators who can remain clinically competent exhibit professionalism in working with teams, collaboration capabilities, and the ability to establish and maintain inter-professional relationships (Billings et al., 2019). Therefore, these models can help the students develop critical thinking skills hence these learners can think for themselves instead of being dependent on other members of staff.

Competency 7: Engage in Scholarship

Involvement in the scholarship with nursing learners is a vital role of the nurse educator. Through this involvement, the educator engages the learners in an inquisitive inquiry about the desire to study and grow as a student and faculty. The dissemination of knowledge by nurse educators to the learners is an essential factor in learning which may involve; provision of research, policies, resources, and policy development skills. The educator should strive to uphold modeling scholarly qualities such as; perseverance, integrity, and creativity in teaching activities. In addition to engagement in scholarship, educators need to seek the advancement of effective teaching techniques, expansion of theoretical knowledge, and investment in continued scholarship through identification and sharing of educational practices to ensure development and improvement of teaching (National League of Nursing, 2015).

Competency 8: Function within the Educational Environment

This competency states that a nurse educator needs to have the knowledge and the history of the current issues and trends in higher education. The educator needs to comprehend and identify how the political, social, economic, and institutional factors affect nursing education (Luoma, 2013). The educator should be aware of the hospital or academic arena's philosophy and mission, which also entails an understanding of the needs of the staff members, the economic and political environment of the current facility. The main factors to consider in the educational context include; current trends and issues in education to make decisions and recommendations on educational matters, determination of external factors such as social, political and economic forces that influence nursing education, integration of values of professionalism and respect, and incorporation of the goals of the nursing program and the mission of the parent institution.