1 Assessment 3 Context Developing a Nursing Philosophy As nurses we develop our own philosophy about our role as a nurse. For some, this philosophy is steeped in the tradition of the nursing program we attended. For most of us, it has evolved over time as we gained experience and developed specializations. We may not always articulate a clear philosophy, but each nurse does have a system of beliefs and values about health, health care, nursing, and his or her role as a nurse that guide nursing practice. Educational theories and strategies can be applied in nursing education. Some are more applicable than others, depending on the individual nurse educator role. Knowing education theories and strategies is valuable as you determine your own path as a nurse educator and the areas that will be your focus within nursing and health care. Nurse Educator Competencies for Academia As an academic nurse educator or nursing faculty member, it is necessary to have a combination of skills. The nursing skills that we have learned and developed over time are extremely important as we teach others to become nurses or teach nurses to develop new skills and acquire further education. We also, however, need skills to teach, critique, and offer guidance to students; evaluate student performance; develop curriculum; and advance our professional knowledge. The challenge for academic nurse educators in this time of rapid practice changes is to be teaching a bit ahead of the curve so that new graduates at all levels are prepared for the advancements in the practice world. The National League for Nursing (NLN) has identified competencies for academic nurse educators and at the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) credential that is offered by the NLN, saying: For academic nurse educators, it [the Certified Nurse Educator credential] establishes nursing education as a specialty area of practice and creates a means for faculty to demonstrate their expertise in this role. It communicates to students, peers and the academic and health care communities that the highest standards of excellence are being met. By becoming credentialed as a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), you serve as a leader and a role model. (n.d., para. 2) Nurse Educator Competencies for Staff and Hospital Educators Nurses in staff development specialist and hospital educator positions are very much nurse educators, but the scope of their practice and areas of responsibility will differ, often depending on the demands of the health care organization and the specialties of the individual nurse educators, and will also differ from educators working in academic environments. Some nurse educators in these roles will hold certifications in specific nursing specialties to demonstrate their skill and competence in those areas. Other nurse educators who focus more broadly on staff development will be interested in the American Nurse's Association's Professional Dev ...

1. 1
Assessment 3 Context
Developing a Nursing Philosophy
As nurses we develop our own philosophy about our role as a
nurse. For some, this philosophy
is steeped in the tradition of the nursing program we attended.
For most of us, it has evolved
over time as we gained experience and developed
specializations. We may not always
articulate a clear philosophy, but each nurse does have a system
of beliefs and values about
health, health care, nursing, and his or her role as a nurse that
guide nursing practice.
Educational theories and strategies can be applied in nursing
education. Some are more
applicable than others, depending on the individual nurse
educator role. Knowing education
theories and strategies is valuable as you determine your own
path as a nurse educator and the
areas that will be your focus within nursing and health care.
Nurse Educator Competencies for Academia
As an academic nurse educator or nursing faculty member, it is
necessary to have a
combination of skills. The nursing skills that we have learned
and developed over time are
extremely important as we teach others to become nurses or
teach nurses to develop new skills

2. and acquire further education. We also, however, need skills to
teach, critique, and offer
guidance to students; evaluate student performance; develop
curriculum; and advance our
professional knowledge.
The challenge for academic nurse educators in this time of rapid
practice changes is to be
teaching a bit ahead of the curve so that new graduates at all
levels are prepared for the
advancements in the practice world.
The National League for Nursing (NLN) has identified
competencies for academic nurse
educators and at the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) credential
that is offered by the NLN,
saying:
For academic nurse educators, it [the Certified Nurse Educator
credential] establishes
nursing education as a specialty area of practice and creates a
means for faculty to
demonstrate their expertise in this role. It communicates to
students, peers and the
academic and health care communities that the highest standards
of excellence are
being met. By becoming credentialed as a Certified Nurse
Educator (CNE), you serve as
a leader and a role model. (n.d., para. 2)
Nurse Educator Competencies for Staff and Hospital
Educators
Nurses in staff development specialist and hospital educator
positions are very much nurse
educators, but the scope of their practice and areas of
responsibility will differ, often depending

3. on the demands of the health care organization and the
specialties of the individual nurse
educators, and will also differ from educators working in
academic environments.
Some nurse educators in these roles will hold certifications in
specific nursing specialties to
demonstrate their skill and competence in those areas. Other
nurse educators who focus more
broadly on staff development will be interested in the American
Nurse's Association's
Professional Development Specialist certification.
2
As health care expands into community services, wellness and
prevention services, and a
myriad of other areas, nurse educators have expanding roles as
well.
For some, this includes nurse navigator positions that will focus
on working with patients with
chronic or severe illnesses and guiding them through the health
care system. Other nurse
educators may become case managers or work in the health care
industry developing tools and
educating medical and nursing staff, as well as health care
consumers, on various health-
related products.
The field of nursing education continues to expand, and there
will continue to be a variety of
opportunities where the nurse educator competencies will be a

4. good fit.
Reference
National League for Nursing. (n.d.). Professional development
programs: Certification for nurse
educators. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/professional-
development-
programs/Certification-for-Nurse-Educators
Assessment 3 ContextDeveloping a Nursing PhilosophyNurse
Educator Competencies for AcademiaNurse Educator
Competencies for Staff and Hospital
EducatorsReferenceNational League for Nursing. (n.d.).
Professional development programs: Certification for nurse
educators. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/professional-
development-programs/Certification-for-Nurse-Educators
Overview
Write a 3 page nurse educator philosophy.
As nurses, we develop our own philosophy about our role as a
nurse. For some, it is steeped in the tradition of the nursing
program we attended. For most of us, our philosophy has
evolved over time, as we gain experience and develop
specializations. We may not always articulate a clear
philosophy, but each nurse does have a system of beliefs and
values about health, health care, nursing, and his or her role as
a nurse that guides practice. By developing a philosophy
specific to the role of nurse educator, you will be able to reflect
upon your individual values and beliefs, values and beliefs
about nursing, and the educator role that each person is
preparing for.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will

5. demonstrate your proficiency in the following course
competencies and assessment criteria:
· Competency 1: Analyze the historical evolution of nursing
education.
. Analyze the influence of historical events on a nurse educator
role.
· Competency 2: Analyze the tripartite role of teaching, service,
and scholarship.
. Formulate an informed nurse educator philosophy statement.
. Apply a nurse educator philosophy to the tripartite roles of
teaching, scholarship, and service.
· Competency 3: Analyze professionally established nurse
educator competencies and models.
. Analyze the competencies necessary for a specific nurse
educator role.
· Competency 8: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly,
professional, and consistent with the expectations for a nursing
education professional.
. Write coherently to support a central idea with correct
grammar, usage, mechanics, and APA format and style as
expected of a nursing education professional.
Assessment Instructions
For this assessment, develop your own nurse educator
philosophy statement. Identify your beliefs and values regarding
the adult learner, learning environment, and teaching strategies
and applicable learning theories that you will use as an
educator. Address how this philosophy will guide you in the
tripartite roles of a nurse educator—how it will guide your
teaching, scholarship, and service. Support your philosophy
with your knowledge of historical events that are pertinent to
your work. In addition, identify the competencies that you see
as critical to your role.
In sum, your philosophy statement should guide your practice as
a nurse educator.

6. Your educator philosophy statement should do the following:
· Identify the area of nursing education or the area in health
care in which you will apply your MSN, education
specialization skills, and knowledge.
· Formulate your nurse educator philosophy statement, which
should comprise your beliefs and values regarding the adult
learner, learning environment, and teaching strategies and
applicable learning theories that you will use as an educator.
· Apply your philosophy statement to each of the tripartite roles
of the nurse educator. What does your philosophy mean for your
approach to teaching, scholarship, and service? As you discuss
the role of teacher, be sure to address any theories (adult
learning theory, learner-center education, and others) that shape
your approach as an educator.
· Analyze the relationship of significant historical events that
have shaped the role you seek to fill.
· Analyze the most essential nurse educator competencies
necessary for this MSN-prepared nurse educator. Explain why
you selected the competencies you did.
· Conclude with a summary.
Additional Requirements
Your assessment should meet the following requirements:
· Written communication: Written communication should be
free of grammar and spelling errors that distract from the
content.
· APA format: Use correct APA format, including running head,
page numbers, and a title page. Citations and references (if
used) are to be in correct APA format.
· Format: Submit your assessment as a Word document.
· Length: 3 double-spaced pages, not including the title page
and references page.
· Font and font size: Times New Roman or Arial, 12 point.