The full text of this NLN Vision is online: http://www.nln.org/about/position-statements/nln-living-documents

As the voice of nursing education nationally and internationally, the National League for Nursing (NLN) has consistently advocated for nurse educator preparation at the forefront of educational reform. The 2013 NLN Vision for Doctoral Preparation for Nurse Educators focused on doctoral preparation for the nurse educator role. This living document has been updated to reinforce the belief that all graduate education in nursing needs to foster scholarship in teaching and learning and advance the science of nursing education. Nursing education is a specialized area of practice, and nurse educators who understand and implement discipline-specific pedagogy are the vital link to a future workforce that will lead health care reform. Consistent with the NLN's commitment to lead in accomplishing this imperative, the NLN has developed program outcomes and competencies for graduate academic nurse educator preparation.

In today's academic environment, with national directives for curriculum innovation and the development of models of cost-effective education, along with the need to prepare a workforce capable of providing safe, quality care in a reformed health care system, both nationally and globally, the NLN's support of graduate preparation to prepare academic educators, scholars, and researchers who can advance the science of nursing education is more important than ever. The NLN believes that it is critical that graduate programs in nursing, including master's and research and practice doctorates, prepare graduates with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to teach, to provide leadership for transforming education and health care systems, and to conduct and translate research on salient nursing education phenomena. Achieving this goal is critical to justify the public's trust in our profession. As well, the profession has the obligation to prepare nurse educators who can facilitate the learning of the next generation of nurses to ensure safe, quality care to changing populations in a variety of health care settings.

RECOMMENDATIONS

For the Nursing Profession

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Support the inclusion of formal academic preparation for the nurse educator and/or faculty role in all graduate program curricula.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Minimize degree completion time between BSN and MSN degrees and doctoral degrees to more rapidly increase the number of nurse educators who are doctorally prepared with faculty role preparation.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Affirm the need for educational models that foster inclusiveness in graduate programs.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] By 2020, double the number of faculty with formal graduate preparation in nursing education.

For Graduate Programs in Nursing

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Develop master's and doctoral program courses to prepare graduates consistent with their academic preparation to:

* Design curricula that prepare students for patient-centered, population-based care in interprofessional teams.

* Evaluate the impact of large-scale educational innovations.

* Translate and implement evidence from nursing educationresearch.

* Facilitate student learning using sound empirical evidence.

* Use information technology-empowered learning strategies.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Collaborate with schools of education to explore ways to enrich pedagogical course offerings.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Maximize program capacity by establishing partnerships or consortia between schools of nursing with graduate programs offering nurse educator preparation courses and/or faculty role preparation courses and those lacking such programs.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Intensify efforts to recruit and retain students from diversebackgrounds.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Increase the number of accessible graduate nursing programs with nurse educator and faculty role preparation courses.

For the NLN

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Continue to advocate for a diverse body of graduate students and obtain scholarship funding for underrepresented students who seek nurse educator positions in academic settings.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Offer faculty development programs that prepare faculty with the knowledge and skills to teach, provide leadership for transforming education, and conduct and translate research in nursing education. Offer recommendations for the design of curricula for graduate programs that prepare nurse educators, with special attention to differentiating between the competencies expected of the master's-prepared nurse educator and those expected of the doctorally prepared nurse educator.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Promote Academic Nurse Educator Certification (CNE) for all nurse educators.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Continue to obtain funding for scholarships and grants to support nurses whose doctoral studies focus on advancing the science of nursing education.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Advocate for master's/doctoral program funding support at state and federal levels.

[three-D top-lighted rightwards arrowhead] Contribute to nurse educator workforce development by maintaining data on doctoral programs offering educator and faculty role preparation, faculty with doctoral preparation, and master's programs/post-master's certificate programs with educator preparation concentrations and majors.