Practice and Academic Nurse Educators: Finding Common Ground

Abstract

Two university-based schools of nursing and two healthcare regions, supported by a nurses' union, have formed an intersectoral collaboration to develop a practice educator curriculum. The curriculum is designed to increase educator capacity and practice-academic relationships. This article describes the preliminary groundwork among intersectoral partners. Practice and academic educators do not always recognize each others' expertise or share resources effectively. An online survey and focus groups were conducted to identify educators' similar successes and challenges, their perspectives of key criteria necessary to establish practice-academic collaborations and learning environments, and intent to leave. The findings revealed many similarities across sectors, although practice and academic educators had different foci or perspectives that will need to be bridged by the collaboration. Strategies are suggested to maximize educators' commonalities, provide better supports to minimize intent to leave, and ensure sustainability.

Advancing Healthcare Sciences through Staff, Student and Service User Partnerships

“…Further work is required to understand how to manage effectively these new relationships; as observed previously, different groups do not always recognise each other's expertise (MacPhee et al, 2009), so a key question is: How can people with diverse perspectives work effectively together to enjoy fruitful partnerships? As these partnerships grow in number and become established, there are wider questions to be asked: What is the impact of patient involvement on the practising healthcare scientist?…”

“RN Means Real Nurse”: Perceptions of Being a “Real” Nurse in a Post-LPN-BN Bridging Program

“…In addition to the presence of nurse attendants and LPNs, other levels and fields of expertise in nursing have been introduced into the healthcare arena. These include (but are not limited to) telenurses (Snooks et al, 2008), advanced nurse practitioners (Paniagua, 2010), correctional healthcare nurses (Hardesty, Champion, & Champion, 2007), addiction nurses (Clancy, Oyefeso, & Ggodse, 2007), mental health nurses (Happell, 2006), nurse educators (MacPhee, Wejr, Davis, Semeniuk & Scarborough, 2009), and nurse managers (Bolton, 2005).…”

A student’s journey: Examining the efficacy of the academic preparation of BSN students and readiness to enter practice

“…Academic and practice educators do not value one another's role and contribution to nursing education, further widening the perceived gap. MacPhee et al (2009) stated that each group possess a different focus, which influenced a students' perception regarding the expertise of classroom and clinical educators [39]. Corlett (2000) identified this phenomenon as decontextualized teaching practices leading to high levels of frustration [40].…”

“…Corlett (2000) identified this phenomenon as decontextualized teaching practices leading to high levels of frustration [40]. Academic educators focus on students' needs and clinical placements while practice educators are mainly concerned with the needs and issues of the clinical staff [39]. Decontextualized teaching strategies have resulted in new graduates lacking confidence and heightened awareness that they do not possess the skills for critical thinking that are required in today's clinical settings [41].…”

“…Decontextualized teaching strategies have resulted in new graduates lacking confidence and heightened awareness that they do not possess the skills for critical thinking that are required in today's clinical settings [41]. MacPhee et al (2009) argued that academic and clinical educators need to collaborate in order to minimize student confusion therefore meeting learning needs [39].…”