|
NLN Program Highlights Standout Nurse Faculty April 22, 2008 Dr. Cindy McCoy has earned the designation Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) after successfully completing a rigorous certification examination developed and administered by the National League for Nursing. Dr. McCoy is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing. She teaches in the Bachelor’s and Masters’ programs and serves as the BSN Coordinator. Her clinical background is in critical care nursing. Dr. McCoy also holds a certification in Nursing Informatics from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The NLN’s CNE program has conferred new visibility and stature upon the academic nursing community, long overdue, said Dr. Beverly Malone, CEO of the NLN. “Through the certification program, we have made clear to the ranks of higher education that the role of nurse educator is an advanced professional practice discipline with a defined practice setting and demonstrable standards of excellence,” she commented. In years to come, she added, it is hoped that certified nurse educators will command higher salaries and be first in line for promotions and tenure. The newly certified nurse educators reflect the spectrum of their academic colleagues in the United States*: · Thirty-four percent hold doctoral degrees; the remainder master’s degrees · Forty-six percent teach in baccalaureate or higher degree programs; 40 percent in associate degree programs; 9 percent in diploma programs; and 5 percent in practical nursing programs · Sixty-one percent hold the rank of assistant professor or higher: 16 percent are full professors; 22 percent, associate professors; and 23 percent, assistant professors · Thirty-six percent have more than 15 years experience as academic nurse educators. With nearly half (46 percent) projected to retire within the next decade and nearly three-quarters (72 percent) within 15 years, replacing them is of grave concern, noted NLN president Dr. Elaine Tagliareni. “We must encourage more nurse faculty to prepare for certification as nurse educators so that our nursing schools can be staffed by academicians of the highest caliber. Only in this way can excellence in nursing education be ensured for another generation.” The NLN unveiled the CNE program in 2005, with 174 passing the examination that first year – an 85 percent pass rate – representing 45 states and the District of Columbia. As of December 31, 2007, a total of 827 nurse educators, representing every state, have earned the CNE credential nationwide with an overall pass rate of 83 percent.
|