Initial and Continuing Competence in Education and Practice: Why Should It Be Mandatory?
in response to Redesigning Expectations for Initial and Continuing Competence For Contemporary Nursing Practice by Carrie B. Lenburg, EdD, RN, FAAN (September 30, 1999)
with reply by author.
Dear Editor:
I love Carrie Lenburg and her ideas on competence as described in the September, 1999, series of articles on initial and continuing competence. My argument is with faculty. How can we stress the competence of our graduates when we are not even certified competent as faculty. Every other specialty in nursing is certified and yet we continue not to be certified as educators of nursing. Why is it that we do not have to demonstrate that we can be competent teachers. Many nurse educators are certified in their area of specialization but that is not all that makes one an effective educator. When will nurse educators get together and design a way to gain certification in teaching/learning? If we did this I suspect we would reduce greatly the possibility of putting out incompetent graduates.
Sincerely,
Roz Seymour, EdD, RN
Associate Professor
College of Nursing
East Tennessee State University
