The History of Nursing Education

Type: Write a 2 page article

Subject: Article on the role of a nurse educator

Subject area: Nursing

Education Level: Masters Program

Length: 2 pages

Referencing style: APA

Preferred English: US English

Spacing Option: Double

Instructions: Assessment 1 Context MSN-FP6103

As you start this course, it seems very appropriate to consider where we have been as a  profession, both in nursing and nursing education, as well as where you have been and are  going as a professional. This seems especially important at this time in health care, where more  is demanded of nurses and, as the Institute of Medicine has urged us in the subtitle of the report  The Future of Nursing (2010), we are to be "Leading Change, Advancing Health." 

A multitude of forces beyond our control, including economic and political forces, may shape the  profession of nursing; as nurse educators, however, it is our work to provide the educational  foundations needed for patient care, for improved health status for all, and for a well-prepared  workforce of nurses. 

The Nurse Educator Role 

When we say we are nurse educators, the image that comes to mind for many is that of a  nursing instructor in an undergraduate nursing program. The work that person is engaged in is  teaching others how to be nurses. While that is certainly one aspect of the nurse educator role,  the setting and the work may vary greatly and have expanded in recent years. Today, nurse  educators are also staff development specialists, clinical nurse educators, nurse navigators,  patient educators, researchers, and community health educators, to name a few of the many  options available. 

Some nurse educators, especially in university settings, will hold joint appointments as nursing  faculty in a college of nursing and as clinicians in the university hospital. Other educators will  work exclusively in a hospital or community setting, educating staff, patients, or community.  Regardless of the setting, the role of educator encompasses more than teaching; there is also  an expectation for scholarship and for service. 

References 

Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health.  Washington, DC: National Academies Press. 

Zorn, C. R. (2010). Becoming a nurse educator: Dialogue for an emerging career. Sudbury, MA:  Jones & Bartlett Learning.