August 9, 2017 | For Members Only: NLN CEO Update on Certified Nurse Educators

Colleagues, come along with me – I bet you didn’t know that I can see the future but I can. In exactly five weeks and one day, throngs of nurse educators will assemble in the Marriot Marquis San Diego Marina to pick up their registration materials for the NLN Education Summit “Our Community of Colleagues.” And of those nurse educators present, many – but certainly not all – will gladly accept a handsome red canvas bag that distinguishes them as Certified Nurse Educators. They will carry their red bags proudly for the duration of the Summit. And those of us without red bags will sigh with admiration and respect for those who have been knowledgeable and sufficiently well prepared to let the world know that they excel in the practice of nursing education.

Yes, this is the 11th year of the NLN Certified Nurse Educator program, and just on the basis of red bags alone, it is clear that this program has taken root in the academic and nursing communities, representing nursing education as a specialty area of practice where the highest standards of excellence are being met. I am proud of all of our certified nurse educators and encourage all members to consider sitting for the exam.

It seems that members of the Michigan League for Nursing (MLN) also see the importance of recognizing those educators who have attained CNE certification. A CNE Corner on the MLN webpage lists all CNEs in the state, along with links to resources available to those interested in pursuing CNE status. Best of all, the MLN will connect educators from every state with mentors who have successfully navigated the certification process. Congratulations to the Michigan League for taking these valuable steps to promote nursing education excellence.

Interest in certification is certainly widespread, now with many international testers. In May, Dr. Larry Simmons, director of the CNE Program, and Dr. Linda Christensen, chief administration officer at the NLN, presented on the global availability to become CNEs at the International Council of Nurses Congress in Barcelona. What an exciting development for the promotion of excellence in nursing education worldwide.

The work to ensure that the CNE exam accurately reflects the current academic environment is an ongoing process that the League takes very seriously. At this time, the CNE Board of Commissioners (BOC), the CNE director, and staff are in the process of reviewing results of a nurse educator practice analysis conducted this past spring. The outcomes of the review will be used to guide the design of the certification test blueprint and recommendations for future advancements. Meetings are scheduled for later this fall to review test statistics and validate new test items. Let me give a shout out to Dr. Carmella Mikol, a member of the BOC and chair of the Test Development Committee, who worked with a group of item writers for several days in Atlanta to produce more than 100 potential test item questions. These were submitted to the Test Development Committee for further consideration and consistency with the exam blueprint.

This is a good time to thank the CNE staff, all members of the BOC, and BOC chair Dr. Kathleen Poindexter for their dedication and commitment to this important NLN endeavor. And please note, we offer CNE preparation courses throughout the year, in locations throughout the country. Some of these are offered by Dr. Linda Caputi, author of the NLN’s Certified Nurse Educator Review. Be sure to stop by the CNE booth 509 in the exhibit hall at the Summit to learn more and say hello – in five weeks plus one day.

Before I close, I want to extend my congratulations to one of our most remarkable members, a member of the NLN Academy for Nursing Education and recipient in 2009 of the NLN Award for Excellence in Nursing Education Research: Dr. Marilyn Oermann. Marilyn’s contributions to the science of nursing education are legion, so I was gratified to learn that she has been honored by her peers in the International Academy of Nursing Editors as recipient of the 2017 Margaret Comerford Freda Award for Editorial Leadership. At the NLN we are particularly grateful to Marilyn for instituting in 2008 our Scholarly Writing Retreats, one of the NLN’s most successful programs. Marilyn has tackled the “publish or perish” concept in the halls of the academy. Over a 10-year period, she has mentored numerous nurse educators in writing for publication and disseminating their research findings and other work in scholarly publications. It is fitting that Dr. Leslie Nicoll, who alternates with Marilyn in leading these retreats, was recognized with the same award two years ago. I know many of you have already been touched by their caring approach to mentorship in the publication process and join with me in offering our congratulations to both Marilyn and Leslie for their numerous contributions to nursing education scholarship.

It’s on the horizon, colleagues – I can see it clearly. In fact, I see you at the Summit.

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Next Issue of the NLN Member Update: Wednesday, August 23, 2017. View previous issues of NLN Member Update »