Characteristics of nursing educators' professional competency standards: A scoping review.

AIM: To map the characteristics of nursing educators' competency standards for practice from the existing literature, examine the evidence and identify commonalities and differences. BACKGROUND: Many countries or regions have produced nursing educator standards, however, there is no common set of standards or competencies used globally. Mapping these nursing educator standards should identify a common set of standards that can be applied across any nursing educator practice setting. DESIGN: The review was conducted using the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and followed an a priori protocol. METHODS: A comprehensive search of studies or guidelines (2001-2022) was undertaken to identify specific nursing educator competencies from any practice setting and in any language. Preceptorship and mentorship studies were excluded from the search terms. Databases searched for relevant records and guidelines were CINAHL, ERIC, Medline (Ovid), Pubmed, Scopus, Google and targeted websites. After screening and selection, relevant data were extracted and summarized using an extraction guide. Characteristics of the reports were identified and all three levels of competency statements were mapped against commonly occurring categories derived from the data. RESULTS: 1145 evidence records were screened after removal of duplicates with 14 records included in the review. The included evidence sources were from various nursing educator practice settings and educator roles. All evidence sources had at least two levels of competency statements and 16 competency categories were identified. Common categories in the first two competency levels were: leadership and management; research and scholarship; professional values and professional development; and facilitating learning. Statements related to learner evaluation were also common in the level 2 competencies. Level 3 competencies were included in seven evidence sources and most of the sources included almost all categories. Low-occurring statements at all levels were in the 'Nursing skills' and 'Decision-making/strategic planning" categories. CONCLUSIONS: Common characteristics and categories were found between different evidence sources in this review. The most common competency review categories included leadership and management, professional development and facilitating learning. Few decision-making competencies were identified from the evidence sources. These results can inform educators and managers in developing globally-based nursing educator competencies, performance management tools and job descriptions.

Review of the Australian nurse teacher professional practice standards: An e-Delphi study.

AIM: The aim of the study was to review the 2010 Australian nurse teacher professional practice standards ('the Standards') to see if they were still relevant to current nursing educator practice in any practice setting, such as academia or clinical settings. BACKGROUND: It has been over 10 years since 'the Standards have been reviewed. Nurse education practice has met many challenges in the past decade, so it is timely to evaluate whether the Standards are still relevant to nursing educators today. DESIGN: A modified Delphi technique was used for this study. METHODS: Delphi surveys were used to obtain consensus on the relevance of the Standards' statements to any nursing educator. Links to two electronic surveys were sent to an expert panel of nursing educator leaders. Also, two online focus groups of nursing educators from any practice setting or level of experience were held. Results from the first survey and focus groups led to word changes and additional statements, which were included in the second Delphi survey. RESULTS: Forty participants responded to the first survey and 38 to the second. Fifteen nursing educators attended the focus groups. There was ≥85 % agreement on all statements in the first survey. with similar high agreement responses in the second survey. Changes in the Standards included language used around culture, inclusion of 'sustainability of the program' and 'demonstrates knowledge and expertise in teaching and educational practice'. CONCLUSIONS: The Australian nurse teacher professional practice standards remain highly relevant to nursing educators across all practice settings. In response to feedback from nursing educators some changes to language and additional standard statements were included in the revised standards.