The nurse as patient educator.

This article aims to examine the andragogical theory of adult learning and the implication that knowledge of adult learning theory is a prerequisite for successful patient teaching.     

The multiple sclerosis nurse as patient educator.

Patient education is an important part of neuroscience nursing. New treatments, such as beta interferon self-injections, have challenged nurses. The purpose of this study was to analyze the patient education given by 35 Finnish nurses who work with patients who have multiple sclerosis. The content and didactic solutions of patient education, evaluation of patients' learning skills, and learning outcomes were analyzed. Also, successful and unsuccessful patient education experiences are described. The results showed that patient teaching is based on individual and unstructured approaches. The role of the patient is important, and there is need for more systematic evaluation of learning outcomes. Results from teaching of beta interferon self-injections are similar. In general, more systematic research in this area is required.     

Alleviating the nurse faculty shortage: designating and preparing the academic nurse educator as an advanced practice registered nurse

A lack of qualified nurse faculty is a persistent problem in the discipline of nursing. It limits the number of nurses prepared to provide safe, quality care in settings around the world. Many individuals, groups, and organizations have studied the nurse faculty shortage and recommended resolutions, yet the shortage persists. This opinion paper contends that designating the academic nurse educator (ANE) as an advanced practice registered nurse and identifying an educational pathway that ensures academic preparation for the role could help to alleviate the nurse faculty shortage. Evidence disseminated by national and international constituents that influence nursing and nursing education supports the perspective and serves as the basis for recommendations that could attract more nurses to faculty positions in nursing education and ensure preparation of ANEs for their role.     

Blended roles: preparing the advanced practice nurse educator/clinician with a web-based nurse educator certificate program

Changing demographics, a nursing shortage, and various societal changes underscore the need for nurse educators and new nurse educator programs. This article describes a Web-based nurse educator program designed to prepare advanced practice nurses for faculty roles while simultaneously preparing them as clinicians. Guided by adult education theory and self-directed learning theory, the Web-based Nurse Educator Certificate (four Web-based nurse educator courses including a teaching practicum) has been developed and offered to clinical master's and postmaster's students. This article also describes student work with mentors, interactive Web-based teaching strategies, portfolios, graduate competencies, and initial evaluative data. In the first two years of the program, 48 students have taken at least one course in the Nurse Educator Certificate program and eight students have completed it. A Web-based nurse educator certificate program, as part of a clinical master's or postmaster's program, has the potential to help meet the faculty shortage.     

The clinical nurse educator as leader

The National League for Nursing recognizes leadership as an important aspect of the educator role. The purpose of this article is to describe leadership in the context of clinical nursing education and how clinical nurse educators enact leadership. The article identifies particular nursing practice skills and strengths that clinicians bring to nursing education that enhance leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities. After review of several leadership models, we identified five overarching themes that demonstrate how clinical nurse educators exemplify the various models including role modeling, providing vision, helping students to learn, challenging the system or status quo, and seeking relational integrity. We explicate the themes with examples affirming the leadership potential of clinical nurse educators, and suggest ways in which nursing faculty members and administrators might draw on the leadership capital of clinical nurse educators.     

Core competencies of nurse educators: inspiring excellence in nurse educator practice

The National League for Nursing Core Competencies of Nurse Educators with Task Statements provide a comprehensive framework for preparing new nurse educators, implementing the nurse educator role, evaluating nurse educator practice, and advancing faculty scholarship and lifelong professional development. This article describes how one nursing department uses the core competencies with current faculty and in a graduate program that prepares nurse educators.     

The palliative care advanced practice nurse

The emerging role of the advanced practice nurse (APN) as a palliative care provider is gaining increased recognition in the United States. The APN's ability to perform comprehensive physical evaluations, order and interpret diagnostics, and prescribe appropriate medications while receiving reimbursement allow this provider to become a valuable and important discipline in the patient's plan of care. APNs consistently demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the care of the frail, poor, culturally diverse, nursing home, and rural populations-areas in which palliative care is often unavailable. This paper provides an overview of the APN's role and the ability to integrate palliative interventions into traditional health care settings. It highlights reimbursement issues and describes a case example to demonstrate how the APN can provide continuity, coordination, and reimbursement of services for the patient living with and dying from advanced illness.     

Writing for publication as an advanced practice nurse

Advanced practice nurses (APN) develop and test nursing interventions, design initiatives in their organizations, and propose new ways of delivering care to patients and families; however, they frequently do not communicate these innovations to others. This article presents strategies for incorporating professional writing into the role of APN.