What do Nurse Educators Do?

Faculty no longer teach what you were taught or as you were taught. They are moving from the role of “sage on the stage” to that of “guide on the side.” As interpreters of future practice, they coach and inspire students to appreciate change. Practice in a rapidly-evolving health care delivery system in an increasingly multicultural society requires new knowledge and skills. Faculty focus on helping students learn clinical judgment and critical thinking skills and to use evidence-based practices in providing care. Faculty assist students to learn self-care practices for the promotion of health and the management of chronic, long-term illness. Faculty also model and teach leadership, and assist students to learn the principles of client teaching, delegation, and supervision of other caregivers.

Nurse educators have a wide variety of experiences in their roles in a school or college of nursing or health care agency. They teach, participate in clinical practice, provide service and engage in scholarly activities. In the Northwest, master’s-prepared faculty work primarily in associate degree and baccalaureate programs.