National League for Nursing Core Competencies of
Nurse Educators
Competency 1: Facilitate learning
To facilitate learning effectively, the nurse educator:

• ■ Implements a variety of teaching strategies appropriate to learner
needs, desired learner outcomes, content, and context

• ■ Grounds teaching strategies in educational theory and evidence-
based teaching practices

• ■ Recognizes multicultural, gender, and experiential influences on
teaching and learning

• ■ Engages in self-reflection and continued learning to improve
teaching practices that facilitate learning

• ■ Uses information technologies skillfully to support the teaching–
learning process

• ■ Practices skilled oral, written, and electronic communication that
reflects an awareness of self and others, along with an ability to
convey ideas in a variety of contexts

• ■ Models critical and reflective thinking
• ■ Creates opportunities for learners to develop their critical thinking

and critical reasoning skills
• ■ Shows enthusiasm for teaching, learning, and nursing that inspires

and motivates students
• ■ Demonstrates interest in and respect for learners
• ■ Uses personal attributes (e.g., caring, confidence, patience,

integrity, and flexibility) that facilitate learning
• ■ Develops collegial working relationships with students, faculty

colleagues, and clinical agency personnel to promote positive
learning environments

• ■ Maintains the professional practice knowledge base needed to help
prepare learners for contemporary nursing practice

• ■ Serves as a role model of professional nursing

Competency 2: Facilitate learner development and socialization
To facilitate learner development and socialization effectively, the nurse
educator:

• ■ Identifies individual learning styles and unique learning needs of
international, adult, multicultural, educationally disadvantaged,
physically challenged, at-risk, and second-degree learners

• ■ Provides resources to diverse learners that help meet their
individual learning needs

• ■ Engages in effective advisement and counseling strategies that help
learners meet their professional goals

• ■ Creates learning environments that are focused on socialization to
the role of the nurse and facilitate learners’ self-reflection and
personal goal setting

• ■ Fosters the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective development of
learners

• ■ Recognizes the influence of teaching styles and interpersonal
interactions on learner outcomes

• ■ Assists learners to develop the ability to engage in thoughtful and
constructive self and peer evaluation

• ■ Models professional behaviors for learners, including, but not
limited to, involvement in professional organizations, engagement in
lifelong learning activities, dissemination of information through
publications and presentations, and advocacy

Competency 3: Use assessment and evaluation strategies
To use assessment and evaluation strategies effectively, the nurse educator:

• ■ Uses extant literature to develop evidence-based assessment and
evaluation practices

• ■ Uses a variety of strategies to assess and evaluate learning in the
cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains

• ■ Implements evidence-based assessment and evaluation strategies
that are appropriate to the learner and to learning goals

• ■ Uses assessment and evaluation data to enhance the teaching–
learning process

• ■ Provides timely, constructive, and thoughtful feedback to learners
• ■ Demonstrates skill in the design and use of tools for assessing

clinical practice

Competency 4: Participate in curriculum design and evaluation
of program outcomes

To participate effectively in curriculum design and evaluation of program
outcomes, the nurse educator:

• ■ Ensures the curriculum reflects the institutional philosophy and
mission, current nursing and health care trends, and community and
societal needs, so as to prepare graduates for practice in a complex,
dynamic, multicultural health care environment

• ■ Demonstrates knowledge of curriculum development, including
identifying program outcomes, developing competency statements,
writing learning objectives, and selecting appropriate learning
activities and evaluation strategies

• ■ Bases curriculum design and implementation decisions on sound
educational principles, theory, and research

• ■ Revises the curriculum based on assessment of program outcomes,
learner needs, and societal and health care trends

• ■ Implements curricular revisions using appropriate change theories
and strategies

• ■ Creates and maintains community and clinical partnerships that
support educational goals

• ■ Collaborates with external constituencies throughout the process
of curriculum revision

• ■ Designs and implements program assessment models that promote
continuous quality improvement of all aspects of the program

Competency 5: Function as a change agent and leader
To function effectively as a change agent and leader, the nurse educator:

• ■ Models cultural sensitivity when advocating for change
• ■ Integrates a long-term, innovative, and creative perspective into

the nurse educator role
• ■ Participates in interdisciplinary efforts to address health care and

educational needs regionally, nationally, or internationally
• ■ Evaluates organizational effectiveness in nursing education
• ■ Implements strategies for organizational change
• ■ Provides leadership in the parent institution and in the nursing

program to enhance the visibility of nursing and its contributions to
the academic community

• ■ Promotes innovative practices in educational environments

• ■ Develops leadership skills to shape and implement change

Competency 6: Pursue continuous quality improvement in the
nurse educator role
To develop the educator role effectively, the nurse educator:

• ■ Demonstrates commitment to lifelong learning
• ■ Recognizes that career enhancement needs and activities change as

experience is gained in the role
• ■ Participates in professional development opportunities that

increase one’s effectiveness in the role
• ■ Balances the teaching, scholarship, and service demands inherent

in the role of educator and member of an academic institution
• ■ Uses feedback gained from self, peer, student, and administrative

evaluation to improve role effectiveness
• ■ Engages in activities that promote one’s socialization to the role
• ■ Uses knowledge of the legal and ethical issues relevant to higher

education and nursing education as a basis for influencing, designing,
and implementing policies and procedures related to students,
faculty, and the educational environment

• ■ Mentors and supports faculty colleagues

Competency 7: Engage in scholarship
To engage effectively in scholarship, the nurse educator:

• ■ Draws on extant literature to design evidence-based teaching and
evaluation practices

• ■ Exhibits a spirit of inquiry about teaching and learning, student
development, evaluation methods, and other aspects of the role

• ■ Designs and implements scholarly activities in an established area
of expertise

• ■ Disseminates nursing and teaching knowledge to a variety of
audiences through various means

• ■ Demonstrates skill in proposal writing for initiatives that include,
but are not limited to, research, resource acquisition, program
development, and policy development

• ■ Demonstrates the qualities of a scholar: integrity, courage,
perseverance, vitality, and creativity

Competency 8: Function within the educational environment
To function as a good “citizen of the academy,” the nurse educator:

• ■ Uses knowledge of history and current trends and issues in higher
education as a basis for making recommendations and decisions on
educational issues

• ■ Identifies how social, economic, political, and institutional forces
influence higher education in general and nursing education in
particular

• ■ Develops networks, collaborations, and partnerships to enhance
nursing’s influence within the academic community

• ■ Determines one’s own professional goals within the context of
academic nursing and the mission of the parent institution and
nursing program

• ■ Integrates the values of respect, collegiality, professionalism, and
caring to build an organizational climate that fosters the
development of students and teachers

• ■ Incorporates the goals of the nursing program and the mission of
the parent institution when proposing a change or managing issues

• ■ Assumes a leadership role in various levels of institutional
governance

• ■ Advocates for nursing and nursing education in the political arena

From National League for Nursing. (2012). The scope of practice for academic nurse
educators, 2012 revision. New York, NY: National League for Nursing. Included with
the permission of the National League for Nursing, Washington, DC.