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Master of Science in Nursing Online: Nursing Education Specialization
For a total of 33 credit hours, the Nursing Education Specialization of the Master of Science in Nursing Online degree is designed to prepare nurses to teach in post-secondary nursing programs, including schools of practical nursing, associate degree programs, and baccalaureate programs. The master’s in nursing education track also prepares leaders for staff education positions within a healthcare system or public health organizations.
Pursue a master's in nursing education specialty to open yourself up to exciting opportunities to educate the next generation of nurses, while embedding yourself at the forefront of innovation and new developments in the field. As a future nurse educator, you would be helping reduce the shortage of nurses in two ways: filling vacant faculty and educator positions as baby boomer generation nurses retire and introducing new nurses into the field or helping them to advance their skills and fill in critical gaps. May 2021 employment data showed more than 68,000 openings for postsecondary nursing instructors and teachers alone.1
By earning your online MSN in Nursing Education, you could make a huge personal impact by preparing more professionals to work as competent, dynamic leaders and practitioners. A master’s in nursing education gives you the ability to personalize and take your career in various directions based on your interests. Additionally, nurse educators gain access to higher competitive salaries and see tremendous job opportunities in a field growing much faster than others.2
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Get valuable insights into the OCU online experience, learn more about specialization options, and see where this degree can take you.
Common MSN Nursing Education roles:
The advantage of earning a master’s in nursing education is that you get to build an entirely new set of educator skills through your specialization courses, on top of enhancing your basic nursing skills and knowledge.
Clinical nurse educator
Work on staff or as a consultant to help nurses gain hands-on experience in new techniques, best practices and new protocols, participate in new employee orientation and training
Instructional nurse faculty
Work in a more traditional nurse educator role, most likely in a university setting
Staff development nurse
Work in a community or governmental health agency to educate the public as well as other staff members
Patient educator
Work in a clinical setting, developing and implementing patient education materials and programs that help them and their families with understanding diagnoses and care
Typical Nursing Education responsibilities:
- Developing curriculum, assessments, and learning experiences specific to your audience
- Leading training and information sessions or course instruction
- Promoting continuing education and professional development
- Staying up-to-date with best practices for both the fields of nursing and education (especially adult education and education technology)
- Conducting evaluations of existing programs and offering suggestions for updates
- Meeting with patients, students, staff members, and others based on your role for individual education sessions
- Coaching and mentoring students or nursing staff members
- Attending and presenting at professional conferences
- Conducting research and/or writing grant proposals
You can also earn your Master’s in Nursing Education to pursue a career as a:
Nursing school dean or department head
Textbook developer
Grant writer
Public health advisor and advocate
Disaster preparedness educator
Military nursing educator
Nonprofit program manager
MSN Online: Nursing Education Specialization curriculum
In addition to the core MSN online courses, MSN Nursing Education students will take 21 credit hours of educator-focused courses.
NURS 5203 Curriculum Development in Nursing Education (3 credit hours)
Domains of learning and curriculum theory, design, implementation, and evaluation of nursing education curricula. Analysis of selected curricula using established standards.
NURS 5222 Technology Strategies in Digital and Online Courses (2 credit hours)
Introduction to digital learning modalities such as asynchronous, synchronous, blended, massive open online courses (MOOCs), etc. Coursework involves facilitation and evaluation of online courses. Analysis of professional, ethical, and legal implications.
NURS 5232 Teaching Strategies for Simulation in Nursing Education (2 credit hours)
Introduction to the concepts of simulation pedagogy in nursing education. Simulation-based educational strategies are introduced preparing course participants to function independently in simulation environments. Analysis of professional, ethical, and legal implications of simulation.
NURS 5402 Teaching Strategies for Nursing Education (2 credit hours)
Educational theories and strategies for teaching and learning are integrated to address diverse needs and learning styles. The influence of legal and ethical issues on education will also be addressed.
NURS 5703 Educational Ethics and Health Care Policy (3 credit hours)
Nursing and healthcare public policy development from agenda setting, policy formation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation at the national, state, and local levels. The influence of ethical issues on policy development will be considered.
NURS 6153 Nursing Education Evaluation Strategies (3 credit hours)
Theories and strategies for evaluation of learning in classroom and clinical environments.
NURS 6412 Advanced Health Assessment for Nurse Educators (2 credit hours)
Application of advanced health assessment principles and skills across the lifespan. Opportunities provided to perform comprehensive psychosocial, spiritual developmental, cultural, and physical assessment. Provides graduate students in the nurse educator track with graduate level theoretical and clinical knowledge required to teach health assessment to students enrolled in basic nursing education programs. Does not transfer to nurse practitioner tracks.
NURS 6414 Advanced Pathophysiology and Pharmacology for Nurse Educators (4 credit hours)
Study of physiologic concepts, adaptations, and alterations that occur in selected disease processes using a systems approach. Principles of pharmacology in relation to various patient populations and disease processes. Builds upon previously learned principles of physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology. Provides graduate students in the nurse educator track with graduate level theoretical and clinical knowledge. Applies this knowledge to educational delivery in undergraduate nursing education programs. Does not transfer to nurse practitioner tracks.
Master’s in Nursing Education FAQ
What’s a master’s in nursing education?
A master’s in nursing education is a specialization option for a Master of Science in Nursing degree that prepares students for a variety of instructional roles in the field. Along with enhancing your basic nursing skills and knowledge through the core MSN curriculum, you’ll build an entirely new set of educator skills like curriculum development, best practices for instruction, course evaluation and more.
What can you do with an MSN in Nursing Education?
Students earning a master's in nursing education could pursue roles such as:
In a nursing education role you might:
- Clinical nurse educator
- Instructional nurse faculty
- Staff development nurse
- Patient educator
- Nursing school dean or department head
- Textbook developer
- Grant writer
- Public health advisor and advocate
- Disaster preparedness educator
- Military nursing educator
- Nonprofit program manager
In a nursing education role you might:
- Develop curriculum, assessments, and learning experiences specific to your audience
- Lead training and information sessions or course instruction
- Promote continuing education and professional development
- Help nurses gain hands-on experience in new techniques, best practices and new protocols, participate in new employee orientation and training
- Conduct evaluations of existing programs and offering suggestions for updates
- Meet with patients, students, staff members, and others based on your role for individual education sessions
- Coach and mentor students or nursing staff members
- Attend and present at professional conferences
- Conduct research and/or write grant proposals
- Develop and implement education materials and programs that help patients and their families with understanding diagnoses and care
- Work in a community or governmental health agency to educate the public as well as other staff members
Is a master’s in nursing education worth it?
Yes, in several ways. First, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects postsecondary nursing instructor roles to grow by 15% through 2030, a much faster rate than most roles.1 That means there will be many opportunities for you to find a job that suits your needs and interests. On average around the U.S. you can anticipate an average salary of $75,400.1
Further, as a future nurse educator, you would be helping reduce the shortage of nurses double fold: filling vacant faculty and educator positions as baby boomer generation nurses retire and introducing new nurses into the field or helping them to advance their skills and fill in critical gaps. May 2020 employment data showed more than 61,000 openings for postsecondary nursing instructors and teachers alone. In 2019, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reported nearly 80,500 qualified students were turned away from programs because of an insufficient number of nursing faculty.
Further, as a future nurse educator, you would be helping reduce the shortage of nurses double fold: filling vacant faculty and educator positions as baby boomer generation nurses retire and introducing new nurses into the field or helping them to advance their skills and fill in critical gaps. May 2020 employment data showed more than 61,000 openings for postsecondary nursing instructors and teachers alone. In 2019, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reported nearly 80,500 qualified students were turned away from programs because of an insufficient number of nursing faculty.
Make your mark in this era of nursing and the next with an MSN in Nursing Education
Further your career, earn a higher salary and work a more traditional 9-to-5 schedule when you delve into nursing education with an MSN online. Whether you’re interested in working in higher ed faculty, within a hospital as a staff educator, or with a governmental or non-profit agency educating your community on top public health concerns, you can lead a dynamic career with rippling impact when you choose a specialization in education. Earn your master’s degree and pay it forward with an online MSN in Nursing Education.
Sources
- Retrieved on August 29, 2022, from www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes251072.htm#(1)
- Retrieved on March 25, 2022, from onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1072.00