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Tallahassee, Florida – Florida A&M University's (FAMU) School of Nursing announced that Jaibun K. Earp, associate dean of FAMU’s School of Nursing undergraduate program, has earned the designation Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) after successfully completing a rigorous certification examination developed and administered by the New York City-based National League for Nursing (NLN).
“Certification in any field is a mark of distinguish and professionalism,” Earp said. “This certification means that FAMU’s School of Nursing houses a senior level faculty that can serve as a role model for both students and faculty.”
“The NLN’s CNE program has conferred new visibility and stature upon the academic nursing community,” said Beverly Malone, CEO of the NLN. “Through the certification program, we have made clear to the ranks of higher education that the role of nurse educator is an advanced professional practice discipline with a defined practice setting and demonstrable standards of excellence. In years to come, it is hoped that certified nurse educators will command higher salaries and be first in line for promotions and tenure.”
The newly certified nurse educators reflect the spectrum of their academic colleagues in the United States:
- Thirty-seven percent hold doctoral degrees; the remainder master’s degrees
- Fifty percent teach in baccalaureate or higher degree programs; 38 percent in associate degree programs; 8 percent in diploma programs; and 3 percent in practical nursing programs
- Sixty-five percent hold the rank of assistant professor or higher: 18 percent are full professors; 25 percent, associate professors; and 22 percent, assistant professors
- Forty-one percent have more than 15 years experience as academic nurse educators.
“We must encourage more nurse faculty to prepare for certification as nurse educators so that our nursing schools can be staffed by academicians of the highest caliber,” said Malone. “Only in this way can excellence in nursing education be ensured for another generation. As matters stand, the number of nurses qualified to teach continues to decline. The NLN’s 2005 NNED survey documented an 18 percent increase in the number of qualified applicants turned away from nursing programs due to the disheartening shortage of nurse educators.”
The NLN unveiled the CNE program in 2005, with 174 passing the examination that first year – an 85 percent pass rate – representing 45 states and the District of Columbia. As of September 2007, a total of 762 nurse educators have earned the CNE credential with an overall pass rate of 84 percent. Of those 762, Earp is of the 27 in the state of Florida.
Dedicated to excellence in nursing education, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education offering faculty development, networking opportunities, testing and assessment, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 21,000 individual and 1,100 institutional members.
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