Nursing Educators and the 21st Century Learning Environment

A nurse educator is a registered nurse (RN) with an advanced nursing degree (such as a Master’s of Science in Nursing Education) who also teaches. Nurse educators teach nursing in classroom settings such as in nursing schools, colleges, and universities, and clinical settings such as hospitals and health centres. Nursing educators equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experience both in the clinical and academic setting act as the propulsion for training not only future nurses, but already qualified RNs as well. Even while in the academic setting nurse educators can also continue working in the clinical settings taking care of patients (NP Schools, 2019; RegisteredNursing.Org, 2019; & ExploreHealthCareers.org, 2018). Just as a nurse provides services to patients and families, nurse educators provide services to learners.

Nursing education has followed the trend of globalization occurring at a fast pace where most things changes very quickly. This free environment has given many persons opportunities for educational advancement which they not have had, but it also changes the way in which we do things. Globalization has brought forth the advancement of technology where it has been reported that only 12 % of the world’s population do not have a mobile phone and 45 % have smart phones (Bruce, 2018). This means easy access to information. So now what impact does this have on nurse educators?

This era of globalization has created many challenges for nurse educators but these challenges should be considered as opportunities rather than as hurdles or stumbling blocks. There has been a change in the lifestyle and health dynamics of the world’s population. Trends have indicated new and even re-emerging diseases and forms of treatment. Coupled with this is a change in the learning environment which has moved from being teacher-centered to learner-centered. This affects nurse educators’ role because they are now required to be facilitators rather than just teachers or lecturers. Here an opportunity is created to move away from rote learning where learners (nursing students and RNs) become engaged autonomous decision makers who can unravel problems critically and creatively rather than just being passive learners: clinical decisions will be evidenced-based  (Crouch, 2018). 

Crouch (2018) has also indicated that potential nursing students are being driven away from nursing educational institutions because there is not enough or qualified faculty to supply the demand. What is needed is qualified and quality trained educators who will now be able to educate nurses. Nursing educators need to enhance their academic (nursing) and teaching background in order to meet this demand. Many nurse educators are qualified at the Masters level so they will need to upgrade to a doctoral level. However, in this technology-infused environment, nurse educators will also need to be tech-savvy individuals. This can ensure that a wider group of learners are reached. Courses can now accessed by nursing students and RNs alike in an online environment because nurse educators will now have the capability to deliver in such an environment (Crouch, 2018).

The need for being academically qualified as a nurse educator is also echoed by Fawaz, Hamdan-Mansour, and Tassi (2018). Keeping in trend with advancement, the requirement to employed as in nurse in many countries globally is no longer at the minimum level of a diploma or associate degree in nursing but a Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) degree. For those RNs who are at the minimum level, instead of being in a traditional classroom they can be given the alternative to acquire their BSN in an online environment.

Teaching in an online or even in a blended environment means that tech-savvy nurse educators have to move away from traditional lectures, note taking, and assessments. Traditional textbooks are no longer a mainstay of the learning environment. I vividly remember that my first Anatomy and Physiology textbook way back when (will keep the year a secret!!) cost $320 TT. Now a physical copy of that same textbook could be upwards of $1200 TT. But all is not lost:  Available to both educators and learners are a variety of technology-based learning tools which are very much cheaper such as elearning, electronic references (eBooks), smart boards, and video-conferencing. Aside from theoretical content, laboratory sessions can also be delivered in an online environment. But in order for these to be successfully used, nurse educators themselves have to be properly trained in their usage (Fawaz, Hamdan-Mansour, & Tassi, 2018).

However, in a quest to keep up with this wave of technological advancement, nurse educators must use technology to strengthen learning and not as substitute for learners to know about the human aspect of nursing. Learners should be encouraged to practice excellence, social equality and acceptance of differences in their nursing practice (Crouch, 2018).

                                

So now we know what nurse educators are required to do to keep abreast, but how do they actually deliver educational content?  This can be achieved using any one of the Instructional Design System (ISD) process or framework such as the ADDIE model or the ASSURE model. Similar to the nursing process used in delivery patient care, these models move in a step-by-step process from assessment to evaluation. The use of these models will allow nurse educators to have a greater understanding of who their students are and what might have an influence on their learning. As such nurse educators are now able to plan lessons to suit the needs of the learners. This is done by creating lesson plans which have clearly defined objectives as this will indicate exactly what the learners should achieve at the end of the lesson. These objectives will also influence the direction of and keep the lesson on tract. Many options are available for delivering the actual lesson content. This is where the use of technology comes in to keep the learners engaged and involved. 

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Being a nurse educator is not a role that any individual fulfill. In order to survive and make an impact in the nursing education field, nurse educators are required to be committed, embrace educational challenges as they come along and be open to continuous self-advancement both academically and clinically. 

References

Bruce, J. C. (2018). Nursing in the 21st Century – Challenging its values and roles. Professional Nursing Today, 22(1), 44-48. Retrieved from http://www.pntonline.co.za/index.php.PNT/article/view/976/1715

Crouch, S. J. (2019). Nursing Education in the 21st Century: Turning Challenges into Opportunities. Retrieved from https://southfloridahospitalnews.com/page/Nursing_Education_in_the_21st_%20Century_Turning_Challenges_into_Opportunities/5907/3/

ExploreHealthCareers.Org. (2018). Nurse Educator. Retrieved from https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/nursing/nurse-educator/

Fawaz, M. A., Hamdan-Mansour, A. M., & Tassi, A. (2018). Challenges facing nursing education in the advanced healthcare environment. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 9, 105-110. Retrieved from https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2214139118300076?token=51469CE795CDB35E401B8AD85449FE5061EF63CE991A7CA109D74112B9B987F49D87540688CB40523B970DE46021443C

KenzoKenzoKenzo. (Publisher). (2017, July 17). The Future of Nursing Education: Trends, Issues, & Challenges. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjc0rlTv4KI

NP Schools. (2019). What is a Nurse Educator? Retrieved from https://www.nursepractitionerschools.com/faq/what-is-a-nurse-educator/

RegisteredNursing.Org. (2019). What is a Nurse Educator? Retrieved from https://www.registerednursing.org/nurse-educator/

Riffle, E. (Presenter). (2015, June 29). Nursing Education in the 21st Century. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvi7eojjQsk

Roselli, J. (Presenter). (2012, Sept 4). What Does It Mean to Be a Nurse Educator? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vh605qVwto&list=PLcGPLcDTPkFhOyc4QTCn4mDlL-9p7lLms&index=6