PERCEPTIONS OF MSN STUDENTS IN A NURSE EDUCATOR TRACK ABOUT NURSE EDUCATOR SPECIALTY COURSES

Background:
Since 2010, recruitment and retention of qualified nurse educators has been of interest to nurse researchers. Tens of thousands of qualified applicants to pre-licensure nursing programs are turned away annually in the United States due to a nursing faculty shortage.

Review of Literature:
The extant literature is comprised mostly of qualitative studies that are related to the transition of "clinical experts" (e.g., nurse practitioners) to the educator/faculty role, novice nurse educators' experiences, and mentoring or coaching efforts for novice nurse educators. There is a gap in the literature related to the deliberate preparation of students in nurse educator track masters (MSN) programs for the roles and responsibilities they will face as nurse faculty members.

Purpose:
The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of MSN students enrolled in a nurse educator specialty track about their preparation for the role of nurse educator by focusing on the courses they are required to complete in the MSN program.

Methods:
An online survey was used to collect data. The survey employed modified versions of Keller’s Course Interest Survey (CIS) and Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS), which are comprised of sub-scales reflecting the ARCS model of motivational design: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.

Results:
There were 101 respondents to the online survey representing master’s programs throughout the United States. These individuals believe they benefit from the courses, and that the content relates to what they already know, building on their foundation of knowledge. These students expressed a desire to excel in these courses, but perceive course materials as being dry or containing so much information that it is difficult to know what to retain. The students would appreciate examples from their faculty of how the information is used by others, and would appreciate constructive feedback, rather than ‘good job.’ And finally, the students believed that the content-heavy courses are difficult to balance with work and home lives.

Recommendations:
Students enrolled in an MSN program’s nurse educator specialty track would like meaningful assignments, increased faculty engagement and feedback, and a variety of learning resources.