1
Running head: EVOLVING ROLES OF NURSE EDUCATORS
C918 Evolving Roles of Nurse Educators in Diverse
Environments Pamela Wales
Western Governors University
,2
EVOLVING ROLES OF NURSE EDUCATORS
C1: Roles and responsibilities
The academic nurse educator (ANE) has many roles and responsibilities such as;
mentoring the next generation of nurses, being a role model and ensuring safe quality patient
care in academic and practice settings. To be a well-rounded ANE one must possess strong
clinical and teaching skills, as they will need to effectively teach students in both settings. The
end goal of the nursing student’s education is that they can safely and confidently care for
patients on their own which will require them to have a solid foundation of nursing skills and
knowledge.
ANE collaborate together to design the academic programs at their institutions in
accordance with state regulations, teach the courses, evaluate the effectiveness of the program,
and revise them as necessary. ANE has a vital role to educate students to develop evidence-
based practices to ensure competent and safe nursing practice for the students but also for the
patient population they will serve. According to Mthiyane & Habedi (2018), “This requires more
innovative teaching approaches that promote active participation, creativity and critical thinking
in students such as online teaching and learning, accessing electronic resources, video
conferencing and research-based teaching and learning” (pg. 1). Another vital part of their role is
also to maintain their clinical skills, which would give them the responsibility to work in a
clinical setting.
In the academic setting, the curriculum that has been created will be utilized to create
knowledge within the student. Through didactic approaches, students will be instructed on
evidence-based practices along with pathophysiology that is set forth by academic guidelines and
accreditation standards. The students are evaluated by the ANE through assignments or exams to
, 3
EVOLVING ROLES OF NURSE EDUCATORS
identify effectiveness or gaps in the curriculum and provided with the appropriate feedback to
facilitate their success.
In the clinical approach, the ANE evaluates and facilitates the student’s critical thinking
skills and application of knowledge. This can be done in a skills lab setting where the ANE
validates scenarios and skills check-off stations completed by the students. This setting is utilized
prior to the clinical setting to ensure competence prior to providing patient care. This also allows
the student to gain confidence in their skills and critical thinking while being guided by the ANE.
In the clinical setting, the ANE will observe the student, mentor them, and provide learning
opportunities. They will also evaluate the student’s ability to apply the knowledge they have
obtained in the academic setting to ensure that safe delivery of patient care.
C2: Functioning within parent institution
The role of the faculty member in academia has developed through time as the role of
higher education in America has evolved (Billings & Halstead, 2016). The ANE in their parent
institution will have the main role as a teacher, but they are also a researcher and give service to
others. They may work in a variety of settings including community colleges, Universities,
vocational schools, or hospitals. Initially, the ANE will focus on teaching, as time passes they
will gain the responsibilities of research and service, as chosen by the institution.
Continual curriculum modifications are essential in nursing academia in order to validate
the effectiveness of the education with the rapidly evolving professional practice (Fawaz,
Hamdan-Mansour, Tassi, 2018). With the end goal being to prepare nurses who are able to
deliver safe and high-quality care that is able to adapt in an ever-evolving profession. This
Running head: EVOLVING ROLES OF NURSE EDUCATORS
C918 Evolving Roles of Nurse Educators in Diverse
Environments Pamela Wales
Western Governors University
,2
EVOLVING ROLES OF NURSE EDUCATORS
C1: Roles and responsibilities
The academic nurse educator (ANE) has many roles and responsibilities such as;
mentoring the next generation of nurses, being a role model and ensuring safe quality patient
care in academic and practice settings. To be a well-rounded ANE one must possess strong
clinical and teaching skills, as they will need to effectively teach students in both settings. The
end goal of the nursing student’s education is that they can safely and confidently care for
patients on their own which will require them to have a solid foundation of nursing skills and
knowledge.
ANE collaborate together to design the academic programs at their institutions in
accordance with state regulations, teach the courses, evaluate the effectiveness of the program,
and revise them as necessary. ANE has a vital role to educate students to develop evidence-
based practices to ensure competent and safe nursing practice for the students but also for the
patient population they will serve. According to Mthiyane & Habedi (2018), “This requires more
innovative teaching approaches that promote active participation, creativity and critical thinking
in students such as online teaching and learning, accessing electronic resources, video
conferencing and research-based teaching and learning” (pg. 1). Another vital part of their role is
also to maintain their clinical skills, which would give them the responsibility to work in a
clinical setting.
In the academic setting, the curriculum that has been created will be utilized to create
knowledge within the student. Through didactic approaches, students will be instructed on
evidence-based practices along with pathophysiology that is set forth by academic guidelines and
accreditation standards. The students are evaluated by the ANE through assignments or exams to
, 3
EVOLVING ROLES OF NURSE EDUCATORS
identify effectiveness or gaps in the curriculum and provided with the appropriate feedback to
facilitate their success.
In the clinical approach, the ANE evaluates and facilitates the student’s critical thinking
skills and application of knowledge. This can be done in a skills lab setting where the ANE
validates scenarios and skills check-off stations completed by the students. This setting is utilized
prior to the clinical setting to ensure competence prior to providing patient care. This also allows
the student to gain confidence in their skills and critical thinking while being guided by the ANE.
In the clinical setting, the ANE will observe the student, mentor them, and provide learning
opportunities. They will also evaluate the student’s ability to apply the knowledge they have
obtained in the academic setting to ensure that safe delivery of patient care.
C2: Functioning within parent institution
The role of the faculty member in academia has developed through time as the role of
higher education in America has evolved (Billings & Halstead, 2016). The ANE in their parent
institution will have the main role as a teacher, but they are also a researcher and give service to
others. They may work in a variety of settings including community colleges, Universities,
vocational schools, or hospitals. Initially, the ANE will focus on teaching, as time passes they
will gain the responsibilities of research and service, as chosen by the institution.
Continual curriculum modifications are essential in nursing academia in order to validate
the effectiveness of the education with the rapidly evolving professional practice (Fawaz,
Hamdan-Mansour, Tassi, 2018). With the end goal being to prepare nurses who are able to
deliver safe and high-quality care that is able to adapt in an ever-evolving profession. This
