Nurse Leaders and Nurse Educators in Advanced Practice Roles – The Debate Unresolved

Identifying the nurse leader and nurse educator roles as advanced practice nurses (APNs) has various pros and cons. The pros are numerous. For instance, it opens them to the opportunity to be satisfactorily compensated for the role they play in ensuring successful nursing care. This recognition also appreciates their educational qualification and abilities. Additionally, the recognition of nurse leaders and educator roles as APNs will reduce the incivility nurse leaders and educators experience in nursing practice, improve their job satisfaction and reduce their intentions to leave. Most importantly, as APNs, the nurse leader and nurse educator can effectively carry out their roles of being sources of motivation and inspiration for other nurses and mentors for both nurses and patients. The main cons of recognizing nursing educators as APNs is that it increases the workload of such nurses, which may be a factor in job dissatisfaction. It also takes nurses from active practice to other roles, possibly contributing to further qualified nurse shortages.

I agree with identifying nurse leaders and nurse educators’ roles as APNs. Firstly, nurse educators and leaders are educated to master and doctorate levels and have advanced clinical experience, which warrants their recognition. Secondly, the success of the nursing practice depends on the quality and efficiency of nursing education and nursing leadership (Zendrato et al., 2019). Besides, master- and doctorate-educated nurse educators and leaders are responsible for organizing and implementing research evidence in nursing practice (McNett et al., 2021). They also ensure that the standards of care and the correct care settings are met to benefit the patient and the nursing staff. Conclusively, the pros of identifying the nurse leader and nurse educator roles as advanced practice nurses outweigh the cons. Therefore, recognizing them as APNs benefits the nursing role and the healthcare delivery system.

References

McNett, M., Masciola, R., Sievert, D., & Tucker, S. (2021). Advancing Evidence-Based Practice Through Implementation Science: Critical Contributions of Doctor of Nursing Practice- and Doctor of Philosophy-Prepared Nurses. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 18(2), 93–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/WVN.12496