Certification for Nurse Educators: A Mark of Excellence Celebrating 10 Years.

Abstract

Throughout my time as president of the National League for Nursing and before, I spoke and wrote about the importance of excellence in nursing education. Excellence means not settling for the status quo. It always involves striving to be the best one can be. One respected illustration of excellence for nurse is the designation certified nurse educator (CNE[R]). Nurse educators who proudly include CNE in their credentials are recognized for their dedication to and investment in nursing education and nursing, and for their professional accomplishments and commitment to attaining the nurse educator competencies. In 2005, the NLN published Transforming Nursing Education, which recommends that faculty identify themselves as advanced practice nurses since teaching is an advanced practice that requires specialized knowledge and advanced education and since certification now exists as a way to recognize expertise in the role (www.nln.org/about/ position-statements/archived-position-statements, italics added). The Certified Nurse Educator Program, now 10 years old, first received national accreditation in 2009 from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, renewed in 2014. The mission of the NLN's Nurse Educator Certification Program is to promote excellence in the advanced specialty of the academic nurse educator. The goals are to acknowledge the certified nurse educator as an advanced specialty role; recognize the role's knowledge, skills, and abilities required to demonstrate excellence; reinforce the nurse educator competencies; and promote lifelong learning through professional development. As of May 31, 2015, we have 4,887 individuals who have earned the CNE designation. What an accomplishment! Eligibility requirements for taking the CNE exam have evolved over time and are based on the results of multiple CNE practice analyses. A practice analysis assesses activities undertaken when implementing roles and responsibilities required for a particular professional role. Presently, there are two options whereby an individual can sit for the certification exam. The individual must hold an active RN license and have either: a) a master's, post-master's, or doctoral degree with emphasis in nursing education or graduate-level education courses (nine hours) or b) a master's or doctoral degree in nursing, other than nursing education, and two years of experience in an academic nursing program within the last five years. …