To prepare for a career training nurses, you will study a variety of subjects in an online master’s in nursing education program. Some courses enhance knowledge of nursing practice and research. Others help develop the teaching skills to educate nursing students. Hands-on experience requirements help students learn to apply what they know in a classroom or clinical setting.
Nursing Courses
Nurse educators must already have a nursing background of their own. These current or former nurses have already earned a nursing degree, according to Monster.com’s Nursing Link. However, nurse educators need more advanced nursing knowledge than from an associate’s or bachelor’s degree nursing program. They may end up teaching nursing students at any level, even up to Advanced Practice Nursing degree programs, so they must be familiar with advanced nursing practice and theory.
Some common subjects you will study in an online master’s in nursing education program include:
- Advanced nursing research
- Nursing education and organizational operations
- Evidence-based nursing practice
- Foundations of advanced nursing practice
- Pathophysiology
- Health informatics
- Advanced pharmacology
- Nursing theory
- Health care administration
- Health policy for advanced nursing practice
- Comprehensive clinical care,
- Leadership for advanced nursing leadership in advanced nursing roles
- Quality and effectiveness in nursing care
Some of these courses are rooted in nursing practice and research. Others – like theoretical foundations of nursing – represent an overlap between nursing and education.
Education Classes
Many aspiring nurse educators have little to no experience as instructors. They have plenty of nursing knowledge to share, but they need training to learn how to communicate that information effectively. That’s why a number of the subjects you will study in an online master’s in nursing education program are related to teaching.
Common coursework for aspiring nurse educators include:
- the principles of teaching and learning
- education theory
- strategies for developing
- designing curriculum
There’s also methods of evaluating learning in higher education or in nursing education specifically. Some online master’s in nursing education programs also cover leadership in nursing education.
Nursing Education Practicum Courses
You need to know the essentials of advanced nursing practice and research as well as teaching strategies for nurse education. Then you need to learn how to combine the subjects to achieve success as a nurse educator. A hands-on practicum is another subject students study in an online master’s in nursing education program.
Different online master’s in nursing education programs have different experience requirements. Some programs don’t require a practicum at all. Others require multiple practicum courses. It’s not unusual for a master’s in nursing education degree program to require 150, 160 or even 225 hours of clinical experience. Many online programs work to help students find a clinical setting in their own area to minimize the inconvenience of traveling.
Concluding Thoughts
Aspiring nursing instructors should be prepared to study both advanced nursing and education subjects in an online master’s in nursing education program.
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