Online Curriculum

The nurse educator option can be layered onto any advanced specialist or advanced generalist preparation. The educator option is completely online which is ideal for nurses in remote areas and for those who are bound by work and family obligations. The interactive online classroom provides opportunities for active learning, discussion, problem solving, debating, critical thinking, research, networking, and community building based on advanced clinical skills.

Nursing Education Curriculum

• Post BSN Track (MSN) CNS & Nurse Educator
       •Full-time 5 semester schedule of study - Fall Admission
       •Part-time 8 semester schedule of study - Fall Admission
  
  
• Post BSN Track (MSN) CNL & Nurse Educator
       •Full-time 5 semester schedule of study - Fall Admission
       •Part-time 8 semester schedule of study - Fall Admission
  
  
• Post Master's Certificate
       •Full-time Post Master's schedule of study - Fall Admission
       •Part-time Post Master's schedule of study - Fall Admission

Nurse Educator Certification

The Nurse Educator option at USA prepares one to sit for certification as a nurse educator which is offered by the National League for Nursing (NLN). The Nurse Educator Certification Exam is available to both those who have graduated from a Nurse Educator specific educational program as well as others who have a master's in another specialty but significant experience as an educator. Graduates of the USA NUED option are eligible to seek certification after 2 years of experience as a nurse educator. Persons who are not educationally prepared as nurse educators must have 5 years of full time nursing education experience before seeking certification. For additional information, please see the NLN web site under nurse educator certification. If you have questions regarding the requirements for certification, please contact NLN directly. We can provide the supportive documentation such as clinical hours, preceptor qualifications, etc, when requested by the certifying body, but we cannot address the requirements.

Orientation to the Nurse Educator Option

The Nurse Educator option focuses on the multifaceted roles of the nurse educator: educator, collaborator, scholar, manager, and clinical practice. Nurse Educators are responsible for building and maintaining competence in each of these roles and develop expert skills in three of them: educator, collaborator, and scholar. All Nurse Educator coursework is offered in conjunction with another advanced practice focus area such as Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) or Nurse Practitioner (NP). View current requirements for any of these other tracks by visiting their respective web pages.

The nurse educator specialty courses include NU 546 and 547 Role I and Role I Practicum, NU 548 and 549 Role II and Role II Practicum, and NU 550 and 551 Role III and Role III Practicum. These courses provide the student with an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills required to effectively execute the role of the Nurse Educator. All Nurse Educator courses are predicated on the idea that the student is concurrently taking or has already completed the other advanced preparation (CNS, CNL, NP, etc) courses.

The student completes 180 hours of clinical within this option. The clinical hours are associated with the Role I, Role II, and Role III practicum courses. The Role theory and practicum courses are designed to be taken as a pair to allow the student to practice in the clinical area the skills that are learned in the didactic portion. NU 550 and 551 are the final courses in the option and must be taken concurrently with or following the final semester of any other educational track.

For current nurse educator course information please click here.

All clinical is preceptor based in the student’s home area. Students must identify preceptors who will guide their development within each of the clinical courses. The preceptors MUST be master’s or doctoral prepared and be actively engaged in all aspects of the nurse educator role. All preceptor arrangements must be approved by faculty in advance of the semester in which the student enrolls in the clinical course.

Negotiating clinical agency contracts can be quite a lengthy process. Negotiations in the past have taken as long as 3 months, so start this process well in advance of registering for a clinical course. Students are responsible for assuring that the contract is fully operational PRIOR to starting any clinical hours. NO clinical time can be spent in any facility with which we do not have a clinical affiliation agreement. Please see the Current Students tab on the main CON web page for all practicum forms.

Advising

Nurse Educator students can contact Ms. Taralyn McMullan at tmcmullan@usouthal.edu or 251-445-9486 or Dr. Cathy Dearman at cdearman@usouthal.edu or 251-445-9426 for specific questions regarding course planning, etc. The schedules at the links (see above) are examples; each student will be sent a schedule to follow for all coursework upon admission. Because the individual schedules indicate course sequencing, there is no requirement for students to “be advised” on a semester basis unless they are experiencing difficulties or have questions.

Registration and fee payment is accomplished online. Students do need to be aware that they MUST register with E-College as well as with the University in order to have access to courses.

USA Online - Distance Education for Nurses

Please feel free to email for more information: congrad@usouthal.edu

For Additional Information

For additional information and transcript evaluation write to:

Office of Student Services
USA College of Nursing - HAHN 3082
307 University Blvd N
Mobile AL 36688-0002
(251) 445-9400
Email:condnp@usouthal.edu
FAX: (251) 445-9416

For information regarding admission to the University contact:

Office of Admissions
University of South Alabama
Mobile, Alabama 36688-0002
(251) 460-6141
1 (800) 872-5247
Email: admiss@usouthal.edu

The college is approved by the Alabama Board of Nursing
and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 520
Washington, D.C. 20036-1120
Telephone 202-887-6791