Role of Nurse Educator and Curriculum Development Medicine Essay
Health care is a continually evolving field driven by various changes. Nurse educators need an understanding of changes in health care and the driving forces behind them in order to create a relevant and contemporary curriculum. The purpose of this assignment is to describe the role of the nurse educator and to identify internal and external influences on curriculum development and how those changes influence the role of the nurse educator.
In a 1,000-1,250 word essay, describe various aspects of the role of a nurse educator and the internal and external influences driving curriculum development. Include the following in your essay:
Summarize the role of a nurse educator in curriculum development according to the National League for Nursing Nurse Educator Competencies.
Explain how the nurse educator role changes in different settings (e.g., classroom, clinical, bedside, or simulation).
Explain how nursing education theories influence the nurse educator role. Provide specific examples.
Explain what curriculum is and summarize the curriculum design process.
Identify three internal and three external influences on curriculum development. Describe how they play a role in curriculum development.
This assignment requires 4-6 cited sources.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
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Role of Nurse Educator in Curriculum Development
Student’s Name
Institution
Role of Nurse Educator in Curriculum Development
Nurse educators play a significant role in shaping nursing education and ultimately, the nursing practice. Other than teaching the nursing curriculum to individuals who want to be nurses, they are also responsible for developing the nursing curriculum. The nursing curriculum has to be in line with the current needs of patients and the nursing profession (Halstead, 2018). This paper explores the role of the nurse educator in developing the nursing curriculum, how this role changes in various settings, and the influence of nursing education theories on this role. Also, the paper provides a summary of the curriculum design process as well as the factors that influence curriculum development.
The National League for Nursing (NLN) provides several core competencies of the nurse educator that are important in ensuring excellence in nursing education. One of the key core competencies of the nurse educator, according to Halstead (2018), is to “participate in curriculum design and evaluation of program outcomes.” The nurse educator’s role, in this case, is to establish the outcomes of the nursing program, write the learning objectives, establish effective strategies for evaluation, and come up with effective learning activities. Another nurse educator’s role is to make sure that the curriculum is in line with current trends in healthcare and nursing as well as with patient needs (Halstead, 2018). The nurse educator also has the role of revising the curriculum to ensure that it matches the current trends in healthcare and the needs of learners. These revisions have to be guided by the relevant strategies and theories of change and the nurse educator has to ensure that there is a collaboration with relevant partners during the revision process. Also, the nurse educator has the responsibility of ensuring that the curriculum design is informed by relevant theory, research, and principles of education. Also, the nurse educator has to build and maintain partnerships that can advance the goals of nursing education. Finally, the nurse educator has to facilitate continuous improvement of the educational program by applying the right assessment models (Halstead, 2018).
The nurse educator operates in different settings and their role changes depending on the setting. For instance, in the classroom, the role of the nurse educator is to instruct learners who are at the bottom of the nursing practice ladder. The nurse educator provides learners with learning materials based on the nursing curriculum to prepare them for a career in nursing. In a classroom setting, the role of the nurse educator is not just to teach but also to provide learners with an engaging environment that facilitates learning and participation (Oermann, De Gagne, & Phillips, 2017). In this case, the educator applies different strategies to ensure that each learner has a good grasp of the content. At the bedside, the role of the nurse educator is to offer their expertise and support new nurses in providing patient-centered care. New nurses need to be competent when it comes to interacting and caring for patients. They need to be assessed to ensure that they are competent at their work. In this case, the nurse educator plays the role of assessing new nurses. In the clinical setting, the role of the nurse educator involves introducing new nurses or nursing students to the clinical setting (Herrman, 2020). These are individuals who have theoretical knowledge but they need an opportunity to apply this knowledge into their practice. Thus, they need someone to take them through the orientation process and this is where the nurse educator comes in. In such a setting, the nurse educator can use strategies sug as scavenger hunts to familiarize the new nurses with their environment (Herrman, 2020).
The nurse educator’s role is not only influenced by the various settings but also by nursing education theories. While developing the nursing curricula, nurse educators rely on theories. One of the responsibilities of nurse educators in curriculum development is to ensure that the nursing curriculum design is informed by relevant theory and research (Halstead, 2018). As a result, the curriculum prepares aspiring nurses to be competent in providing care. Nursing theories influence how nurse educators design curriculum as well as how they deliver it to learners. They also influence how nurse ed...