The nature and purpose of the role of the nurse lecturer in practice settings

This paper examines the role of lecturers in nursing in pre-registration ed ucation. It focuses on the nature and purpose of the nurse lecturer's contr ibution in the practice setting, with particular emphasis on the issues sur rounding clinical credibility. This is particularly pertinent in the light of current recommendations, which emphasise the importance of clinical lear ning in pre-registration education programmes. The purpose of the lecturer' s role in clinical practice settings is ill defined. This lack of clear con sensus regarding the expected outcomes for lecturers tin practice), leads t o difficulty outlining what they should do in practice settings. Although l ecturers accept that they have an important part to play in maximizing the learning opportunities for students in both university and practice setting s, they are less clear about how this should be achieved in the latter. This paper argues that: It is opportune to examine and realign the lecturers contribution in practi ce settings given that there has been a shift in the responsibility for cli nical learning; nurse education is now embedded in the higher education sec tor and there is a need for a greater emphasis on practice development Clinical credibility for lecturers is about the development of nursing prac tice through education which is not always achieved by 'hands on' care. For example, assisting nurses in a ward area to develop expertise in evidence based practice may not involve 'hands on' care giving but does involve bein g conversant with current research and practice issues The lecturer's expertise in practice settings is in teaching and facilitati ng learning, rather than direct care giving. No one common model for practice may be either feasible or desirable. Howev er, it is important that nurse lecturers do not follow a particular approac h because the debate about the nurse lecturer's role in practice settings f ails to acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of each model. It is impor tant that the approach is based on sound rationale. (C) 2000 Harcourt Publi shers Ltd.