Nurse educators teach and assess nursing students at different levels, creating curricula and courses. They must have at least a master’s degree in nursing education and be a registered nurse. They can specialize in patient education and research.
A nurse educator teaches nurses of different levels of education and experience. He or she must create the curricula for a specific degree program and also teach it. Nurse educators also assess student progress and revise courses if necessary. To teach nurses at the bachelor’s level, a nurse educator generally must have a master’s degree in nursing education. Teaching nurses at the master’s level usually requires a doctorate in nursing.
Nursing educators are also called nursing professors and act as professors in teaching hospitals. A nursing educator must be a registered nurse (RN) and must have a minimum of a master’s degree in nursing. Nurse educators can teach aspiring nurses fresh out of high school or instruct experienced nurses with an advanced degree. In addition to designing and implementing educational programs, a nursing professor can create individual courses for nurses.
Nursing professors are very leaders for other nurses. Not only do they teach courses related to the scientific and medical sides of nursing, but they also work to inspire professionalism and pride in their students. Nursing educators teach nursing students the importance of quality care and respect for patients.
The exact duties that a nurse educator performs depend on the needs of the hospital. For example, instead of teaching nurses, some qualified educators focus on patient care and teach patients about their illnesses. A nursing professor in this role typically develops new patient education programs for the hospital and oversees the execution of these projects.
Specializing in patient education in a disease or disorder is possible for a certified nurse educator (CNE). Certification typically requires completion of an exam and 1,000 teaching hours, as well as experience working with patients with the condition in which the nursing professor is seeking to specialize. For example, nurse educators who want to specialize in diabetes education can volunteer to work with diabetic patients at the hospital where they work as nurses in order to get the required teaching hours.
Some nurse educators choose to be primarily involved in research and this information may or may not be used in the nursing program curricula they develop. A nurse educator may be responsible for writing the grant if they are involved in non-profit community health education projects. Lectures at annual nursing conferences are activities shared by nursing faculty in all fields.
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