Methods: The study used a multi-method design with a sample of 718 nurse faculty and administrators from 48 states. Institutional Review Board approval was received. The web-based survey was distributed to nursing education program administrators in the United States (US) who were asked to respond anonymously and forward the survey to nurse educators within their organizations.
Measurement included: 1) 11 demographic items; 2)17-item PVCT-ANE; and 3) 9 open-ended questions. The PVCT-ANE was adapted, with permission (Competency & Credentialing Institute, 2018), from the previously validated PVCT (Sechrist & Berlin, 2006). Development and psychometric testing of the PVCT-ANE is described elsewhere (Poindexter, Lindell, & Hagler, 2019).
Frequencies were determined for certified and non-certified administrators and educators and stratified according to certification status, highest degrees held, and classification of employing organizations. Descriptive statistics were determined for each group per domain category. Independent t-test and analysis of variance were conducted to determine differences between groups.
The open-ended questions were scrutinized using content analysis (Elo & Kyngas, 2008) and analytic memos (Birks, Chapman, & Francis, (2008). During each phase, two researchers analyzed the data independently and reached consensus. Multiple strategies were implemented to promote rigor of the results (Elo, Kääriäinen, Kanste, Pölkki, Utriainen, & Kyngäs 2014).
Results: Quantitatively, nurse educator certification was valued higher by certified nurse educators and administrators. Satisfaction with professional accomplishments subscale rated higher across all groups than the professional recognition and marketing subscale. Certified administrators reported the highest ratings on professional recognition and marketing. No significant differences were found when stratified by degree held or organization.
The qualitative results aligned with, and elucidated, the quantitative results. Participants reported that certification allowed them to demonstrate knowledge and achieve personal satisfaction, professional goals, and an educational credential. Participants recommended support and formal recognition by their organizations. Additionally, participants were queried regarding educator, student, and organizational outcomes. Few student and organizational outcomes were noted; responses included the need for further evaluation of outcomes. The most robust outcomes were focused on the educator and included increased credibility, improved theory and evidence-based teaching, and expanded roles within the organization.
Conclusion: Administrators may use the results from this study in designing strategies to support nurse educator certification and recruit educators. Educators may use the results to enhance marketability for academic positions and recognition of expertise in the educator role. Future research should include continued efforts to describe educator, student, and organizational outcomes of nurse educator certification.