Changing Course is a blog where you can find teaching strategies for new and experienced nurse educators. In this first post, I will discuss the Changing Course of nursing education.
Nursing is a complex profession and to prepare for the future of nursing, nurse educators must change their course. There is a convergence of forces impacting nursing education, like the nursing shortage, COVID-19, The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report, the new American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials, Quality and Safety for Nursing Education (QSEN), and the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN). These forces are moving nursing education in a new direction, with good reason. As nurse educators, we cannot resist this push for change, we must change our course.
The nursing shortage directly impacts nursing education. The shortage not only affects the current nursing workforce, but extends to seats in nursing programs and available clinical sites as well. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates the nursing shortage through its impact on mental and physical health, limitations in clinical sites for students, and through a reduction of resources. Nurse faculty must find new and creative ways to teach students within these constraints.
The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report emphasizes the need to diversify the nursing workforce and for nurses to be prepared to advance health equity and address social determinants of health (SDOH) (National Academies, 2021). The new AACN Essentials calls for a transformation to competency-based education that encompasses many concepts including clinical judgment, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and SDOH and re-imagines clinical into four spheres that spotlight clinical competencies (AACN, 2021). QSEN focuses on nursing educational competencies that support quality and safety (QSEN, 2020). Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic also highlights health and educational disparities that influence the profession and necessitates a call for action. It is essential that nurses, and therefore nurse faculty, adapt to these changing needs.
Finally, the change to the NGN, is fast approaching. Students currently enrolled in nursing programs must be ready to pass this redesigned licensing exam. The NGN emphasizes clinical judgment to prepare students for decision making in nursing and real-world practice. Nurse educators must adapt teaching strategies to ensure student success on the NGN.
It is ever evident that the time for nursing education to change course is now! I hope you will take the helm with me on this journey as we explore these uncharted waters.
Coming up in the next edition of Changing Course . . . Rethinking the Nursing Care Plan.