Irene Steward of Georgetown, IL, Receives Certified Nurse Educator Certification

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Irene Steward, MSN, MSEd, CNE, RN

DANVILLE , IL (05/18/2012)(readMedia)-- Irene Steward, of Georgetown, IL, has earned the designation Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) after meeting strict eligibility criteria and successfully completing a rigorous certification examination developed and administered by the National League for Nursing.

Steward, who is interim dean at Lakeview College of Nursing, decided to pursue this certification in order to update her teaching strategies, including the planning of and use of the latest technology.

The NLN's Academic Nurse Educator Certification (ANEC) Program has conferred new visibility and stature upon the academic nursing community, long overdue, said Dr. 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," she commented.

With nearly half (42.8 percent) of nurse faculty projected to retire within the next decade and nearly three-quarters (69.7 percent) within 15 years, replacing them is of grave concern, noted NLN president Dr. Elaine Tagliareni. "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. Only in this way can excellence in nursing education be ensured for another generation."