By 2020, the demand for RNs is anticipated to be 29% greater than the available supply.* The need for nurse educators to help meet this growing demand has never been greater. Help shape the future of healthcare by educating and mentoring nurses and preparing them to make an even greater impact in the lives of their patients.
Play a pivotal role in strengthening the nursing workforce, serving as a role model and providing the leadership needed to implement evidence-based practice.
Learn to design, implement, evaluate, and revise educational programs for nurses. Fieldwork experience in NURS 6351 provides you with an opportunity to apply learning in a real-world environment. Our team of practicum coordinators is available to help at every step of your fieldwork journey.
For nurses who already hold a master’s degree, this is the right time to advance your career by adding depth to your portfolio of skills. Our program can help you prepare for nurse educator roles in a wide range of academic and practice settings. Gain important knowledge needed to develop, plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs for nursing students and other healthcare professionals.
This sequence represents the minimum credits to completion. Credits to completion will vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
| Course Code | Course | Credits | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course Code | NURS 6002/6003 | Course | Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing | Credits | (3 cr.) |
| Course Code | NURS 6370 | Course | Foundational Skills for Nurse Educators in Academic and Healthcare Environments | Credits | (5 cr.) |
| Course Code | NURS 6321 | Course | Curriculum Development, Assessment, and Evaluation | Credits | (5 cr.) |
| Course Code | NURS 6331 | Course | Teaching Learning Strategies: Integrating Technology Into Nursing Education | Credits | (5 cr.) |
| Course Code | NURS 6351 | Course | Role of the Nurse Educator | Credits | (5 cr.) [4 cr. didactic, 1 cr. practicum}) |
In this course students are introduced to Walden University and online learning. Students explore strategies for the successful participation in an online curriculum. Students also will receive a foundation for academic and professional success as scholar-practitioners and social change agents. Course assignments introduce students to resources that support success, development of graduate-level writing skills and use of APA Style, academic integrity, and the creation of a professional development plan based on each student’s chosen specialization.
Nurse educators' practice in academic and healthcare environments. In this course students have the opportunity to develop basic skills that are used by nurse educators in both educational settings. Students study the essentials of adult learning theories, alignment of objectives to lessons, and measurements that achieve course outcomes. They also explore skills for professional developers, clinical activities for nursing students, and patient teaching.
The educational environment is influenced by social, economic, regulatory, and technological transformations. Students in this course learn the theoretical processes that drive curriculum development, assessment, and evaluation. They also focus on curriculum components, which include societal, professional, and educational trends that affect nursing education curricula in the current environment.
In this course, students explore ways to use technology successfully and design effective teaching strategies to meet diverse learning needs. Students engage in producing innovative teaching approaches that use a variety of teaching methods, including adapting technology for multiples learning styles. Students write learning objectives using Bloom’s Taxonomy that meet unique needs of nontraditional, international, educationally disadvantaged, and physically challenged learners.
Nursing education students in this course explore the roles of the nurse educator, including providers of care, staff developers, clinical educators, and academic educators. Through the practicum experience, students translate and apply theoretical principles from their advanced clinical specialty of providing direct care to patients as well as in their practice of teaching. Students work toward solving real-world problems, with the assistance of their preceptors, in a clinical setting as well as with teaching projects in a classroom setting, patient setting, and staff-development setting. They also present the results of their project in the workplace and in the online classroom.
*National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, Second Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Congress, November 2002, http://www.hrsa.gov/advisorycommittees/bhpradvisory/nacnep/Reports/secondreport.pdf.
