The relationship between graduate preparation and clinical teaching in nursing

In recent years, there has been a shift in graduate education from preparing teachers of nursing to preparing advanced clinicians. Whether this shift has made a difference in the clinical teaching skills of the nurse educator has not been addressed. The purpose of this study was to survey clinical teachers in nursing schools and examine whether or not courses in educational theory had any relationship to the "effectiveness" or "time spent" in using various teaching techniques in the clinical setting. This non-experimental survey research used a convenience sample (692) drawn from all National League for Nursing-accredited baccalaureate schools. Only three small significant differences were found, using the t-test, for effectiveness and time spent in teaching strategies between faculty with educational preparation when compared to those without. Although results of this study failed to show significant differences in teaching techniques based on educational preparation, they did indicate a need for educational content to prepare for the teaching role. Discussion of preparation for the teaching role is included.