Nursing care is a critical component of patient health and recovery. That’s why effective nurse education is so important. Nurses who choose to teach the next generation of students to lead, coach, teach and mentor nursing students. They ensure that patients receive optimal care from nurses who have the best training in their field. Nurses with a master’s degree in nursing can leverage their knowledge to prepare students for this challenging and rewarding career.
What Does a Nurse Educator Do?
Nurse educators work in academia and in clinical settings. They teach and mentor nursing students and nurses who’ve just started their careers. They educate students in science, nursing practice, clinical techniques and patient care. Nursing instructors don’t just teach hard skills — they also make sure that nurses have the well-rounded background they need to provide evidence-based patient care.
Whether nurse educators work in the classroom or a hospital, they’re responsible for teaching students to master the following competencies:
- Critical thinking. Nursing is a science-based profession. Nurses must make decisions based on their education, training and data to provide the best patient care.
- Detailed. Providing quality, error-free care is crucial. Nurses must be detailed when monitoring patients, entering data into electronic health record (EHR) software and administering medicine.
- Communications. Nurses must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with patients and their families, colleagues, and administrative staff.
- Compassion. Nurses must be compassionate and understanding as patients deal with illness and anxiety.
- Emotional stability. Nurses need to be able to protect their own emotional well-being and cope in stressful situations.
- Organizational skills. Nurses must be able to coordinate treatment for several patients in their care.
- Strength. Nurses often have to lift and support patients.
College Faculty
Nurse educators work as nursing faculty in colleges, universities and vocational/training programs. Whether students are getting an associate degree (two year) or a bachelor’s degree (four year), the goal of a nursing program is to make sure that students pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). The NCLEX is required before nurses can become RNs.
Accredited nursing programs must make their NCLEX passing scores public, so students can be sure that they’re getting the proper education before taking this rigorous exam.
What does a nurse educator do though? Nursing school faculty have the following responsibilities:
Develop Lesson Plans
Faculty members are responsible for developing lesson plans and coursework that prepare nursing students for the NCLEX. These courses cover topics such as nursing fundamentals, biostatistics, anatomy and physiology, and pharmacology. Students must also take courses in writing and research.
Teach Courses
Faculty members are responsible for lecturing, grading and teaching labs. They also teach practical skills that are part of the job. Students will learn how to administer medicine, insert an IV and change a dressing, for example. Faculty members also guide and monitor student research projects and lab work.
Evaluate Education and Training Programs
Nursing faculty and administration must evaluate the effectiveness of their degree programs. Are students successfully passing the NCLEX? Should the curriculum incorporate new evidence-based techniques or standards? Nurse faculty members who move into administrative roles, such as dean, become influential in shaping the nursing program at their school.
Oversee Clinical Practice and Internships
As students near graduation, they transition into their professional careers. Students take on internships, projects, and clinical or nursing practice experience. Faculty members guide students through these first steps to help make sure that their graduates are successful.
Mentorship
Mentorship has long been a part of the education and training of nurses. Faculty members act as mentors to nurses throughout their education. For many nurses, this relationship lasts well into their professional careers. Faculty members coach their students as they learn each new skill, and they also provide guidance as students prepare for the NCLEX.
Clinical Nurse Educators
Nurse educators who work in hospitals are responsible for making sure that new nurses successfully transition into their professional careers and experienced nurses build on their knowledge and experience.
Nurse Preceptors
Nurse educators are often called preceptors, and the two roles are similar. The role of the nurse preceptor is to guide novice nurses at the start of their career. They’re teachers, coaches and influencers. They provide feedback, teach hospital protocols and encourage new nurses to think through problems. The goal of the nurse preceptor is to help new nurses successfully transition to being experienced nurses who’ve gained confidence in their skills.
Mentor and Train New Nurses
Just as academic nurse faculty members mentor students, nurse educators mentor novice nurses. This can mean providing encouragement and training guidance. A hospital environment is often the first real place where a student has had to perform clinical procedures. Nurse educators can help them become more comfortable in their duties.
Teach Clinical Practices and Procedures
Hospital nurse educators are also responsible for teaching incoming nursing staff clinical practices and procedures. Novice nurses may have only performed certain procedures a few times before their first job. They often have to be trained in clinical and workplace practices, including entering data into EHRs and signing out equipment.
Help Build Productive Nursing Teams
In a productive nursing team, staff members work well together, information is passed down effectively between shifts and everyone feels valued. Part of a nurse educator’s responsibility is to contribute to that environment. Nurse educators keep up with research and pass along evidence-based best practices. Their work with new staff is designed to reduce the ramp-up time, so novice nurses get up to speed quickly. They also provide or schedule continuing education.