Program Coordinator:
Dr. Stephanie Chalupka
Email: schalupka@worcester.edu
Phone: 508-929-8680
*This project is funded in part by a grant from the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
Program Description
:
Nurse educators are the key resource in preparing a nursing workforce that will provide quality care to meet the health care needs of our population. They practice in academic and clinical settings, and they must be competent clinicians. However, while being a good clinician is essential, it is not necessarily sufficient for the educator role.
The Nurse Educator Specialization program is designed to expand the knowledge base of registered professional nurses to prepare them for the role of nurse educator in four areas:
· Higher education
· Vocational education
· Staff education
· Patient education
The program will provide theoretical and practical knowledge in the areas of curriculum development, instructional design, advanced teaching methods, and program evaluation.
Worcester State University offers three routes of entry for Registered Nurses seeking a Master of Science in Nursing degree. The pathways to the Master of Science Degree are:
Traditional Entry: For students with a BS degree in Nursing.
Bridge Program: For Registered Nurses with a Non-Nursing BA or BS degree.
RN-to-MS Fast Track: For associate-degree or diploma-prepared Registered Nurses seeking to proceed directly to the Master of Science in Nursing Degree.
The curriculum is based on the practice dimensions of the nurse educator role, recommendations of the National League for Nursing (NLN), and the AACN Essentials of Master’s Education. Graduate of the Nurse Educator Specialization program are eligible to sit for the National League for Nursing Certified Nurse EducatorCM examination after meeting the experiential requirement.
This is a 42 credit hour program designed for students who have established an expertise in a clinical area and are now interested in nursing education. The curriculum includes coursework related to high fidelity patient simulation strategies, as well as other emerging technologies and related teaching methodologies to improve education outcomes.
The Nurse Educator Specialization curriculum is designed to meet the learning needs of students who are working full-time. Most courses are taught in the blended-learning format which combines the best of face-to-face and online learning. The blended-learning format significantly reducing the amount of time students spend on campus, while maximizing interaction with faculty members and fellow students.