Nursing Education Perspectives Publishes Special Themed Edition in Time for the 2021 NLN Education Summit
Spotlight on Nursing Faculty: How Nurse Educators Meet the Challenges of the Academic Nurse Faculty Role, Plus Annual “Best of NEP-2020” Awards
Washington, DC — As COVID-19 has highlighted for the entire world the vital presence of nurses to health care delivery, a shortage of practicing RNs and faculty to educate them continues to plague the profession. Nursing Education Perspectives (NEP), the scholarly peer-reviewed journal of the National League for Nursing, has devoted its special themed September-October 2021 edition to exploring the varied reasons why nurses may spurn teaching while examining how those who do choose to enter academia cope with the myriad challenges that come with the role.
“Nursing Education Perspectives is a valuable benefit of membership of the National League for Nursing, and once again, NLN Education Summit participants have the opportunity to meet the editors. In a special session, those in attendance can ask questions about the steps involved in developing a manuscript from its conception through the writing, submission, peer review and revision stages to eventual publication. This year’s themed edition again proves insightful and timely in tackling an issue of key interest,” said NLN Chair Dr. Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAONL, FAAN, Professor and Dean Emerita at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and president of The Wise Group.
In their incisive Guest Editorial to the September-October issue, Drs. Lynne P. Lewallen and Elizabeth R. Van Horn, colleagues at the University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Nursing, point to possible explanations for the disappointing number of qualified nurses attracted to the ranks of nurse faculty. Inadequate compensation, preparation for the demands of diverse roles nurse educators are required to fill, and support for work-life balance top the list, according to studies published here that also investigate paradigms for potential solutions.
For example, in the lead article, Examining the Influence of Academic Nurse Educator Doctoral Degree Preparation on the National League for Nursing Core Competency Skill Acquisition, author Dr. Aaron M. Sebach makes the case for strong mentoring and continuing education to even the playing field among new faculty members. They come to the classroom with diverse educational preparation that he contends may leave some ill equipped to perform the complex skills detailed in the NLN Core Competencies for Nurse Educators.
Additional articles focus attention on ways to improve rates of faculty recruitment and retention. One is a study of mentoring male nurse educators in initiatives to increase diversity in the faculty workforce; another looked at peer mentoring among faculty; and a third paired female faculty mentors with male nursing students as mentees.
A variety of factors that contribute to stress associated with the faculty role are examined in other research studies found in this issue:
• Incivility in academic culture
• Lack of meaningful faculty recognition
• Pressure to publish: needed mentoring for scholarly writing, from inception through publication
• Inadequate support for an increasing number of part-time faculty
• Demand for models of quality online education
• Addressing a leadership shortage in academia
Following an outline of topics that suggest the need for further exploration, Drs. Lewallen and Van Horn conclude:
It is our intention that the scholarship provided in this issue will stimulate further thought and more research on these important topics that affect the nursing faculty workplace. We must investigate best practices for creating a hospitable workplace where faculty are prepared for and supported in meeting the challenges of the academic nurse faculty role.
Those interested may find the September-October 2021 issue posted on the journal’s website at NEPonline.net, open access. Along with original research articles and Research Briefs, the special issue has a number of Innovation Center articles.
“Best of NEP 2020” Lauded
Another highlight of the NEP Summit session will be the third annual recognition of the top winners of the ‘Best of NEP’ Awards. “While the standard for scholarship published in Nursing Education Perspectives is of the highest order, it is nonetheless appropriate to cite that which is most exceptional,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Everyone is encouraged to review this outstanding and timely content from NEP’s 2020 volumes for their enlightening insights and inspirational guidance.”
First-place citations have been made in three categories:
• Main Article
Lisa K. Woodley & Lynne P. Lewallen
Acculturating into Nursing for Hispanic/Latinx Baccalaureate Nursing Students: A Secondary Data Analysis
July/Aug. 2020, Vol 41 (4): 235-240
• Research Brief
Katelyn M. Wentworth, Lisette Dorfman, & Justine Taddeo
Reactions of Nursing Students When Faced with Violations of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics
Nov./Dec. 2020, Vol 41 (6): 364-366
• Innovation Center
Herlinda Zamora & Norma Martinez Rogers
Adelante (Moving Forward): An Innovative Program for Nursing and Prenursing Students
Mar./Apr. 2020, Vol 41 (2): 122-123
Others have been selected for Honorable Mention in each category:
• Main Article
Jana L. Lauderdale, Sarah C. Fogel, Mavis N. Schorn, & May S. Dietrich
Perceptions of Sexual and Gender Minority Content in Graduate Nursing Curricula
Nov./Dec. 2020, Vol 41 (6): 334-339
• Research Brief
Holldrid A. Odreman & Dawn Clyens
Concept Mapping During Simulations Debriefing to Encourage Active Learning, Critical Thinking, and Connections to Clinical Concepts
Jan./Feb. 2020, Vol 41 (1): 37-38
• Innovation Center
Jawanza Bundy
Improving the College-Going Process of Nursing Education for African American Students
Sept./Oct. 2020, Vol 41 (5) 297-298
About the National League for Nursing
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 professional development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its nearly 45,000 individual and 1,100 institutional members, comprising nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education and health care organizations. Learn more at NLN.org.
