Nurse Educator Subspecialty
Subspecialties are specialty areas not considered primary areas of advanced practice nursing. Students in all programs can add these subspecialties if they are pursuing any appropriate area of advanced practice nursing.
Nurse Educator
The College of Nursing is proud to offer a Nurse Educator Option as a subspecialty to any MSN or DNP program of study. The Nurse Educator courses are designed for Advanced Practice Nurses who wish to earn the MSN in an advanced nursing practice role and gain Nurse Educator preparation simultaneously.
Faculty shortages in nursing programs are limiting the number of student admissions at a time when the need for nurses continues to grow. Financial constraints, aging faculty, and increasing competition for clinical sites have also contributed to this potential crisis.
Most programs do not offer courses in nursing education as part of their basic curriculum which leaves many of the nurses qualified to fill faculty vacancies poorly prepared to function in the classroom after graduation.
Whether your current or future position involves nursing education in the campus or clinical environment, we have a plan to help you develop or improve your teaching skills.
Nurse Educator – Students can add these 11 credit hours to any available specialization.
- NU 620 – Instructional Design and Technology for Nurse Educators (3 credit hours)
- NU 621 – Curriculum and Outcomes Evaluation in Nurse Educator (3 credit hours)
- NU 622 – Current Topics in Nurse Educator (2 credit hours)
- NU 623- Nurse Educator Role Synthesis Practicum (3 credit hours) requires 180 clinical hours
Students currently in a graduate program may add a subspecialty to their current schedule without applying for admission to that subspecialty. Students should contact their advisor for assistance with a new curriculum schedule.
Prospective students who only want to return to complete a Post Graduate Certificate subspecialty are required to contact the graduate advisor for the MSN program and complete the appropriate admission requirements.
Students who complete the four courses in the nursing education sub-specialty will earn a post-graduate certificate in nursing education and are prepared to take certification exams offered by the National League for Nursing (NLN). The NLN offers three certification exams for nurse educators:
Academic Nurse Educators (CNE) Certification Exam: Students must have completed a master's or doctoral degree in nursing plus a post-graduate certificate in nursing education to take this exam. The focus is on the full role of the academic nurse educator.
Academic Novice Nurse Educator (CNEn) Certification Exam: Students must have completed a graduate degree in nursing plus a post-graduate certificate in nursing education and the student must be currently within the first three years of practice as an academic nurse educator. This exam is for those who are new to the academic nurse educator role
Academic Clinical Nurse Educator (CNEcl) Certification Exam: Students must have completed a graduate degree in nursing plus a post-graduate certificate in nursing education, have three years of professional nursing experience, or if you have not completed the graduate degree you must have two years of teaching experience within the last 5 years. This exam is focused only on the role of educators that facilitate the learning of nursing students throughout clinical components of an academic nursing program. It does not cover the full-scope of the academic nurse educator.
Contacts
Please feel free to contact Dr. Taralyn McMullan for more information about this specialty: tmcmullan@southalabama.edu.