Core Competencies of the Nurse Educator
Core Competencies of the Nurse Educator
Core Competencies of the Nurse Educator
Nurse educators often face challenges due to their education in advanced practice, DNP, or PhD programs, which may lack essential skills like facilitating learning, supporting beginner learners, devising curriculum, and applying efficient assessment procedures. They impart knowledge in both traditional classroom environments and practical clinical settings, following professional standards. In 2005, the National League for Nursing (NLN) formed a task force to define academic nurse educators’ responsibilities, later confirmed in 2012 as the Core Competencies of Nurse Educators With Task Statements (Fitzgerald et al., 2019). This paper discusses the importance of a professional career portfolio for potential employees, its benefits, and the benefits of reviewing it, focusing on the National League of Nursing’s competencies.
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The Value of a Professional Portfolio
A professional career portfolio is a well-structured compilation of relevant documents that provides potential employers with a comprehensive view of one’s talents and skills (Dunne & Logue, 2021). Many professionals utilize this versatile tool, including educators, artists, engineers, and architects. A prospective employer may see one’s proven talents, licenses, and certificates if you provide them with one’s portfolio. Additionally, the portfolio demonstrates one’s suitability for the role. One could also want to submit their written works, any publications they have done, and completed assessments from prior or present companies. A well-crafted career portfolio enables potential employers to gain insight into one’s professional journey by presenting a comprehensive timeline of one’s career. This portfolio will demonstrate one’s professional development and potentially lead to an increase in salary. Maintaining one’s professional portfolio could lead to a promotion or bonus for one’s employment. In addition to showcasing materials like lesson plans, student assignments, and other details relevant to the teaching position, a curriculum vitae allows the prospective employer to understand one’s educational perspective.
Organizing and Distributing Your Portfolio
When deciding on the structure of one’s portfolio, several factors should be considered. You aim to create a portfolio that exudes a sense of professionalism. Organizing one’s portfolio chronologically to ensure a clear and logical timeline for potential employers is crucial. A title page and agenda are necessary components of the portfolio to provide the employer with a clear understanding of its contents. It is essential to ensure that one’s application includes one’s resume, work samples demonstrating one’s skills and talent, relevant work experience, awards, committee memberships, volunteer projects, and any licenses and certifications you have obtained. I would include a curriculum vitae and an expanded resume in my portfolio (Davis et al., 2021). This would allow me to showcase items relevant to an educator’s role, such as proposed lesson plans and student assignments. I would also like to share my perspective on the provision of education. In education, it is crucial to recognize the diverse learning styles of students to deliver instruction effectively. An interactive teaching environment is highly effective in facilitating learning for all individuals. Understanding one’s audience is crucial to effectively connect with students and tailor lesson plans to their needs. The documents should be presented in a manner that is both clear and easily comprehensible.
To begin my portfolio, I will include a title page and a table of contents. I will include a cover letter and an extended version of my resume. The document will contain personal information, including my name, address, and contact details. I will provide a comprehensive list of my academic achievements, which includes my master’s degree, as well as various certifications, such as Basic and Advanced Life Support. Additionally, I hold professional registered nursing licenses in the U.S (Dunne & Logue, 2021). I will include a relevant continuing education credit that I have obtained. I will provide a comprehensive overview of my past and present nursing positions, highlighting my responsibilities and duties throughout my professional journey. This will serve as a demonstration of my acquired skills and abilities. I will include my nursing evaluations from both previous and current employers. I will provide a list of the quality committees I have experience with and my involvement in the volunteer program in my community. During my time there, I dedicated my efforts to assisting senior citizens with various activities. Next, I will provide a sample student assignment and lesson plan. Finally, my portfolio will have letters of recommendation.
Two distinct methods exist for distributing a professional career portfolio to prospective employers. First, a hard copy can be provided to a potential employer during an interview. By utilizing this approach, one can effectively highlight relevant points while responding to interview inquiries (Fitzgerald et al., 2019). In addition, it is possible to submit a digital copy of one’s application when applying for the job. This allows the potential employer to thoroughly assess all the relevant details, beyond just a resume, before arranging an interview. The method I would choose depends on the position I am applying for. I believe a combination of the two methods mentioned would be most effective.
Upon completing my master’s degree, I intend to pursue a career in either staff development or academia. Having previously worked in a role focused on staff development, I have developed a passion for educating novice and experienced nurses on new processes and procedures. Two community colleges offer nursing programs within a reasonable distance. My initial preference would be academia, even though I can see myself working as an instructor in a nursing program or staff development (Fitzgerald et al., 2019).
NLN Scope of Practice
The NLN has established a defined scope of practice for nurse educators and has formulated a set of competencies for them to adhere to and attain (Sebach, 2021). An educator with less than two years of experience is typically classified as a novice in the field of education. As a recent recipient of a master’s degree and a newcomer to the field of nursing education, I will indeed be considered a novice. I am confident in my ability to meet the NLN competencies due to my extensive nursing experience and background in nursing leadership. I currently oversee a team of sixteen registered nurses in a case management capacity. Part of the supervisor’s responsibilities involves fulfilling the role of an educator. I am instructing on new processes and procedures and supporting our required education. In addition to these lessons, the curriculum covers training new employees as case managers. Upon examining the competencies developed by NLN, I have identified several areas in which I still consider myself a novice and need to make further progress.
The first competency is facilitating learning (Wells-Beede et al., 2023). I have developed a vital mastery of this competency through years of experience. For our week’s discussion assignment, I focused on the qualities that make a nurse educator exceptional. These qualities are also relevant to promoting effective learning. Possessing practical communication skills, displaying enthusiasm, and inspiring students while demonstrating solid clinical abilities are essential. It is necessary to provide a dedicated space conducive to effective learning to enhance the learning process.
The second competency focuses on facilitating learner development and socialization. This competency involves identifying the different types of learners among one’s students and determining the most effective learning methods for each individual (Wells-Beede et al., 2023). Although I have progressed in this competency, I still need to acquire skills. However, I would not classify myself as a beginner.
The third competency focuses on the utilization of assessment and evaluation strategies. This competency supports students by actively listening to their feedback on their learning experiences. It involves using open-ended questions to encourage writing, such as journaling, and administering brief quizzes to promptly address areas where students may need additional assistance (Wells-Beede et al., 2023). I endorse certain items within my current work team, while there are other tasks that I still need to become proficient in.
The fourth competency involves actively engaging in curriculum design and evaluating program outcomes. This fourth competency is clear and straightforward: creating lesson plans and assessing curriculum effectiveness (Wells-Beede et al., 2023). Despite my extensive experience evaluating processes, procedures, and employees, I am relatively inexperienced in curriculum design and would need to improve.
The fifth competency focuses on functioning as a change agent and leader (Wells-Beede et al., 2023). I have acquired a high level of expertise in this particular competency throughout my professional experience in my current management position and previous roles. My current and prior managers have acknowledged my ability to lead and inclination to advocate for change. I firmly believe that change is essential for personal and professional growth. Our processes constantly evolve in the healthcare insurance industry to remain competitive in the marketplace and deliver optimal service to our patients and communities.
The sixth competency is the pursuit of continuous quality improvement. Improving the quality of healthcare is of utmost importance. I have served on multiple quality improvement committees and believe positive patient and clinician interactions are crucial for achieving quality improvement. From my perspective, this particular competency is a continuous process that is challenging to master fully (Sebach, 2021).
The seventh competency involves engaging in scholarly activities. This competency focuses on understanding and investigating the student learning process to enhance learning experiences. I have not yet fully mastered this competency and consider myself a novice. One contributing factor is the limited time available (Sebach, 2021). I need help finding time to discuss this matter with my subordinates. However, once I obtain my master’s degree and begin teaching, I will prioritize dedicating the necessary time to enhance my skills as an educator.
The eighth and final competency focuses on operating effectively within the educational setting. This competency addresses the need for nurse educators to understand the academic environment in which they operate comprehensively. It emphasizes recognizing and navigating various factors impacting their role, including economic, social, and political influences (Sebach, 2021). Their respective perspectives also influence the role of institutions. As a new educator in a new role, I would have limited experience in this area and need to understand how these factors affect my role. I would then need to develop strategies to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to meet this competency.
Conclusion
Ultimately, creating a professional career portfolio offers numerous advantages when showcasing one’s qualifications, expertise, and work history to prospective employers. The portfolio comprehensively displays one’s notable qualities, surpassing a conventional resume’s limitations. As a nurse educator, it is crucial to possess these qualities, as well as a comprehensive resume and a well-articulated teaching philosophy. The nurse educator’s role carries significant responsibilities. By adhering to the NLN competencies, you can assess proficiency in different areas. This will help you identify the competencies you still need to develop and the ones you have already achieved through one’s current and previous roles or experiences.
References
Davis, A., Lippe, M., Glover, T. L., McLeskey, N., Shillam, C., & Mazanec, P. (2021). Integrating the ELNEC undergraduate curriculum into Nursing Education: Lessons learned. Journal of Professional Nursing, 37(2), 286–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2020.12.003
Dunne, K., & Logue, P. (2021). A Higher Education Action Research study on the effectiveness of an ePortfolio as a learning tool to promote reflective professional development. Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 6(1), 58–88. https://doi.org/10.22554/ijtel.v6i1.79
Fitzgerald, A., McNelis, A. M., & Billings, D. M. (2019). NLN Core competencies for nurse Educators: Are they present in the course descriptions of academic nurse educator programs? Nursing Education Perspectives, 41(1), 4–9. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000530
Sebach, A. M. (2021). Examining the influence of Academic Nurse Educator Doctoral degree preparation on National League for Nursing Core Competency Skill acquisition. Nursing Education Perspectives, 42(5), 272–277. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000840
Wells-Beede, E., Sharpnack, P., Gruben, D., Klenke-Borgmann, L., Goliat, L., & Yeager, C. (2023). A scoping review of nurse educator competencies. Nurse Educator, 48(5), 234–239. https://doi.org/10.1097/nne.0000000000001376
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Write a 1500-2000 word essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Be sure to completely answer all the questions for each bullet point. Separate each section in your paper with a clear heading that allows your professor to know which bullet you are addressing in that section of your paper. Support your ideas with at least five (5) sources in your essay. Make sure to reference the citations using the APA writing style for the essay. The cover page and reference page do not count towards the minimum word amount. Review the rubric criteria for this assignment.
Discuss the value of professional career portfolios which include teaching philosophy, a curriculum vitae (expanded resume), samples of publications and writings, proof of competencies, etc. Describe how you plan to organize your portfolio, how you plan to distribute it to potential employers, what you plan to include in it, and what type of educator role you would seek.
Consider the NLN scope of practice, and what practice, what standards do you already feel comfortable/competent at performing and which ones do you need to work toward accomplishing; how and why?