Certified Nurse Educator Credential Deemed Valuable in Professional Advancement by Nurse Educators Along Entire Faculty Spectrum

National League for Nursing Examines Impact of CNE Exam in Study Published by Nursing Education Perspectives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY – March 25, 2008 – Two years after it created the credential of Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) to recognize excellence in the advanced specialty role of the academic nurse educator, the National League for Nursing has conducted an analysis to determine its acceptance and value. The results, reported in the current issue of Nursing Education Perspectives, the NLN’s respected peer-reviewed journal, reveal that nurse educators representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, who teach in all types of nursing education programs, from diploma through doctoral, have taken the CNE examination. As of September 2007, 773 nurse educators nationwide have added CNE to their CVs, reflecting a diverse group of qualified, full-time academics across the spectrum of nursing programs, academic rank, educational preparation, and years of experience in the classroom.

“We have learned that nurse educators at every stage of their careers express interest in becoming certified nurse educators,” remarked Dr. Beverly Malone, CEO of the NLN. “It is important to note that in creating the CNE credential, the NLN has sent a critical message to our colleagues in higher education: nurse educators have a proven track record of excellence and must therefore be accorded the status and compensation that goes along with their accomplishments.”

Added NLN president Dr. Elaine Tagliareni, “The League has taken a giant step toward our goal of helping to recruit and retain nurse faculty to address the nursing shortage. The certification program makes it clear that the role of nurse educator is an advanced professional practice discipline with a defined practice setting and demonstrable standards of excellence. The first professional credential designed specifically for nurse faculty, the CNE is certain to have a substantive and lasting influence on nursing education, both locally and nationally.”

Of the nearly 1,000 nurse educators who have taken the CNE examination to date, 84.1 percent earned a passing score, indicative of the test’s reliability. The CNE candidate pool was also found to be reflective of the nation’s nursing faculty, with approximately one-third holding doctoral degrees and two-thirds master’s degrees. Furthermore, candidates were most likely (39.4 percent) to report having six to 15 years of experience. The largest group of CNE candidates held the rank of instructor (29.7 percent), followed by assistant professor (22.8 percent) and associate professor (22.1 percent).

Looking ahead, the NLN plans follow–up research to explore the impact of certification on career advancement. Analysis of candidate performance on each content area of the test blueprint is planned. It is anticipated that these data will provide specific information about candidates’ knowledge of the NLN’s Core Competencies of Nurse Educators©, as well as about the professional development needs of our nation’s faculty.

For copies of the articles that appear in Nursing Education Perspectives, go to http://nln.allenpress.com/nlnonline/?request=get-toc&issn=1536-5026&volume=029&issue=02 and click on “Headlines from the NLN.” For contact information for story sources, please call Karen R. Klestzick at 212-812-0376 or email kklestzick@nln.org.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 25,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members who represent all types of nursing education programs.