Nurse Educator, Essay Example

In a contemporary world of fierce competition nurse educator profession is eventually becoming more and more sufficient and relevant. Nurse educators play a fundamental role in strengthening and amplification of the nursing workforce, thus serving as role models and providing the leadership required for successful implementation of evidence-based practice. They are responsible for designing, evaluating, implementing and revising academic and continuing education programs for nurses in order to enhance their overall performance. These involve formal academic programs leading to a degree or certificate, or sometimes more informal continuing education programs specially designed to correspond to learning needs of every individual.

In fact, a nurse educator is a registered nurse, having advanced education, like advanced and more extensive clinical training in a health care specialty. Nurse educators who occupy the position in academic setting are required to obtain at least master’s degree. In order to get a promotion to the upper academic ranks, like associate professor and professor, and to acquire tenure, academic faculty typically must hold an earned and certified doctoral degree in nursing.  Nurse educators operating in clinical setting are required to hold a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in nursing; however, the increasing number of medical institutions requests the master’s degree confirmation for such appointments. Plenty of master’s degree post-graduate certificate programs are available to prepare nurses for the educator role in particular. These programs focus on the skills required for advanced practice nurses to teach, including instruction on the learning process, curriculum development, program evaluation, student counseling, and the major principles of adult education. A decent amount of baccalaureate-to-PhD programs are available for individuals prepared with a Bachelor of Science degree, who are seeking for their doctoral preparation. These particular programs involve extensive clinical experience, attempt to move students through graduate level study for a relatively short period of time. In order to assist students with graduate nursing education, various federal and private funding sources have been established. The recently accepted Nurse Reinvestment Act includes student loan repayment program for nurses who agree upon serving in faculty roles as soon as they graduate.(AACN, 2002)

Salaries for nurse educators vary widely depending on their role, specialty, experience, location and qualification. According to Salary.com the median expected salary for the Director of a Nursing School would be around $101,825. (U.S. National averages, 2009) The middle 50 percent of nurses in this type of position earn somewhere between $84,743 and 114, 705. The basic salary amounts for nursing educators based on their years experience are presented below:

“Nursing is the nation’s largest health care profession, with more than 2.7 million registered nurses nationwide, and nursing students account for more than half of all health professions students in the United States” (Nursing Educators Needed Stat). Nursing schools are overwhelmed by students’ application, while most of these applications are turned down due to the shortage in qualified Nursing Educators. In fact Nursing Educators are registered nurses that become teachers and are essential for teaching families on how to deal with illnesses, apply therapy and use medication.  Moreover, Nursing Educators are responsible for implementing new education activities within a clinic and hiring new staff. A constant need for trained, professional, and skilled Nursing Educators is vivid, as far as such nurses are building new generations of nurses every time they attend the clinic. “Most Nurse Educators work in colleges and universities that offer associate and baccalaureate programs in nursing, and some work as instructors for LPN courses while educators involved in clinical education also work at collaborating health care facilities” (Nursing Educators Needed Stat). Other places of practice include community health agencies, care facilities, community colleges, and hospitals.  Some of the Nurse Educators apply for administration positions within the clinics taking all the responsibility and stress of the management.  In essence, Nurse Educators shape the future of nurses, who are an indispensable part of the medical world. Needless to say, Nurse Educators are constantly being looked for by agencies across the country. In Florida, nurse educators are currently needed in Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Aventura Hospital, North Florida Veterans Health System, HCA Hospital Corporation of America, Florida Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, and other Medical Centers across the state.

References

Nursing Educators Needed Stat. (2006). Nursing Education Resources. Retrieved April 13, 2009, from http://www.medi-smart.com/nurse-educator.htm/

“Nursing Education Director – U.S. National Averages.” (2009). Retrieved April 13, 2009, from http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?hdSearchByOption=0&hdSearchByOption=0&hdKeyword=Nursing%20Education%20Director&hdJobCategory=HC01&hdZipCode=&hdStateMetro=&hdGeoLocation=U.S.%20National%20Averages&hdJobCode=HC07000455&hdJobTitle=Nursing%20Education%20Director&hdCurrentTab=&hdNarrowDesc=Healthcare%20–%20Administrative/

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2002). Nurse Reinvestment Act at a Glance. Retrieved April 13, 2009, from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media/nraataglance.htm#1/

Median Salary by Years Experience. (2009). Salary Survey Report for Job: Nurse Educator. Retrieved April 13, 2009, from http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Nurse_Educator/Salary/