The nurse educator role in Australian hospitals: Implications for health policy

Abstract

To date, the nurse educator role in the Australian hospital setting has been poorly described. Current pressures for health care reform have prompted reviews of nursing roles. This paper discusses the literature pertaining to the nurse educator role within the context of the Australian health care environment and current health care policy. Building on this synthesis, barriers and facilitators impacting on the nurse educator role are identified and strategic directions for policy, role clarification and advanced practice role development are highlighted. Further research identifying the impact of the hospital-based nurse educator on patient outcomes and professional nursing practice are proposed.

Commencing a nurse education role development journey in a regional Australian health district: Results from a mixed method baseline inquiry

“…Recently, there has been an identified disconnect between NER competency standards and actual practice and skill levels. [1,10,11] Sayers (2013) studied the practice priorities and values of clinically based Australian NERs. Participants reported minimal involvement in the design and delivery of tertiary education.…”

“…[13] At present there is no national standardised approach to role description and scope of practice in nurse education in Australia. [2,10] There is no agreed formal qualification required for an Australian CNE role. The majority of NEs have an education qualification, however this ranges from a Certificate IV (below Bachelor level) to Masters (clinical or educational) level.…”

An investigation of nurse education service models in acute care metropolitan hospitals across Australia

“…There are also clear inconsistencies in nurse educators' access to and involvement in peer support and professional development opportunities (McAllister, Oprescu & Jones, 2014 foster their progression as a specialist educator and to ensure the growth of the speciality as a whole (Sayers & DiGiacomo, 2010). Nurse educators are instrumental in the preparation of the future nurse workforce, yet without sufficient training, support and leadership the nurse educator can be easily influenced by a number of competing factors (Carr, 2007).…”

“…Adding to nurse educators' sense of isolation is the fact that nurse educators in Australia are not required to be credentialed, making it difficult to guide their career progression and monitor standards and accountability (Sayers & DiGiacomo, 2010).…”

N2E: Envisioning a process to support transition from nurse to educator

“…Nurse educators in Australia are also not required to be credentialed, thus there is no prescribed mechanism to guide professional and career development, and no clear way to assure quality and accountability (Sayers & Di Giacomo, 2010); there is no accessible national or international pipeline to resupply qualified educators and nursing academics once others retire or move positions (Cleary, Bevill, Lacey, & Nooney, 2007;Yordy, 2006); and standards and boundaries of educator practice are not well utilised, secured or researched (Guy, Taylor, Roden, Blundell, & Tolhurst, 2011). There are national inconsistencies in educator access to, and involvement in, peer support and professional development opportunities (Altmann, 2011).…”