194 ■ II: ROLES FOR DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
■ WHERE WE STAND NOW
The good news is that both the AACN and NLN recognize that nursing education
is a different practice from other nursing roles and requires “additional education.”
The NLN competencies for nurse educators is established and recognized as signif-
icant and sufficient. The bad news is that neither organization, the AACN or NLN,
will commit to what a full and rigorous nurse educator curriculum should look like
other than making recommendations. Nursing experts are comfortable with practice
models known by the very prescriptive standards the National Organization of Nurse
Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) present for nurse practitioner programs, yet there is
a lack of a consensus model for nurse educator education, DNP programs, as well
as NONPF PhD programs. One argument is that there is a certification needed to
practice as a nurse practitioner but nurse educators have a certification and as DNP
programs move toward the entry level into advanced practice, their curriculum will
need to demonstrate competencies. Additionally, research related to nursing educa-
tion preparation in relation to faculty satisfaction and retention, student satisfaction,
and program outcomes is needed in order to solidify a nurse educator curriculum.
Another consideration is that few nurse educator curricula are preparing nurse educa-
tors for the divergent learners that we are now experiencing in class. A stronger inter-
professional relationship with graduate education departments is needed in academia
in order to promote current nurse educator curriculum relevant to today’s learner
(Francis Marion University Catalog, 2015– 2016).
In addition, DNP- prepared faculty are pressed to keep their clinical practice cur-
rent, which is an expectation of their practice- focused doctorate, but it also detracts
from the time commitment it takes to complete academic achievements (teaching excel-
lence, scholarship, and service) to succeed at a university (Wittmann- Price, 2012).
The authors’ recommendations are to solidify the curricula of nurse educators that
must be achieved on the doctoral level. Certification needs to be promoted for nurse
educators just as it is for other advanced practice nursing roles. Understandably, there
is a nursing faculty shortage, but by filling faculty positions with under- or unqualified
nurse educators who cannot produce or evaluate nursing educational research, it will be
a serious detriment to the future of the profession. Research generated by PhD-prepared
nurse educators and evidence- based practice generated by DNP- prepared nurse educa-
tors about the practice of nursing education need to be a national priority, and is the
only real solution to mitigating both the nursing and the nursing faculty shortage to care
for the health care needs of the U.S. populace.
■ CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
- What methods of evaluation can nurse leaders use to study the effectiveness of DNP gradu-
ates in the role of nurse educator? - When assessing a DNP candidate for an educational role in nursing, what criteria of assess-
ment should be used? - Your nursing program is preparing for an accreditation visit; what role should your faculty
member (e.g., a DNP teaching critical care) play in developing the accreditation report? - A faculty member with a DNP degree is being evaluated for tenure. The faculty handbook
states under degree criteria, “a terminal degree in your discipline.” How would you compose
a letter of support for the tenure candidate?