The novice nurse educator's lecture room instructional management competence

Abstract

The lecture room instructional management competence of novice nurse educators (NNEs) in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) was investigated. No comprehensive set of generic roles, outcomes and competences for instructional management of nurse educators could be traced in the literature, therefore an analytical study was undertaken. Adhering to the principles for outcomes-based education, three models were established: Q a model for the professional development of nurse educators Q an Education, Training and Development nurse practitioner model, consisting of roles and outcomes for lecture room instructional management Q a model for lecture room instructional management that served as evaluation criteria used in the instrument during the quantitative survey These models were presented to, and evaluated by nurse educators of five universities. The influence of mentorship, reality shock, and professional development on the NNEs' lecture room competence was investigated. The target group consisted of NNEs, their mentors and students in nursing schools in the RSA. A number of respondents were also interviewed and observed. The analysed data indicated that NNEs were not competent when they started teaching, and needed support and supervision from mentors. Findings also indicated the positive influence of mentorship and professional development on competence acquisition. NNEs experienced reality shock requiring support to acquire competence. These aspects justify further research. The recommendations based on this study include that nursing schools use specific evaluation criteria for le<,1ure room competence and for in-service training of NNEs and mentors. Nursing schools should take a more active role in mentoring programmes.