DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Background and Rationale: Clinical instructors play a key role in nursing education, yet clinical instructors have varying degrees of formal preparation for the role. These inconsistencies affect student outcomes and instructors’ ability to effectively teach, mentor, and evaluate students. To address this, Belmont University developed the Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Program online course. This project conducted a comprehensive program evaluation to assess its effectiveness.

Aim: This project evaluated the effectiveness, success, and sustainability of an online Clinical Nurse Educator and Preceptor course designed to prepare registered nurses to teach undergraduate students and new nurses in clinical settings.

Design: This study used a summative program evaluation guided by the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) framework to systematically assess the program’s relevance, implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability. It focused on program outcomes, participant perceptions, and long-term sustainability.

Methods: Course content was mapped to the AACN Essentials to assess alignment with national nursing accreditation standards. Data collection included surveys from Belmont Online, Qualtrics, and the ACNESAT, a validated tool measuring confidence and self-efficacy. The ACNESAT assessed role characteristics and fulfillment. Survey responses were analyzed for satisfaction, perceived effectiveness, self-efficacy, role expectations, and areas for improvement.

Results: The summative evaluation showed an 80% completion rate and increased self-efficacy (+19%), with the greatest gain in assessment/evaluation strategies (+21.84%).

  • Satisfaction & Impact: Participants rated content (7.67/10) and interactivity (7.5/10) highly; 53% plan to take the CNEcl exam. Key themes: communication, professional boundaries, and bias reduction.
  • AACN Essentials Mapping: The course aligned with 9/10 competencies, with the highest representation in Professional Development (92.8%) and Professionalism (87%).

Conclusions: The course effectively improved self-efficacy, confidence, and preparedness for clinical teaching, with the greatest improvement found in assessment/evaluation strategies. High satisfaction and strong alignment with AACN Essentials support its relevance and sustainability.

Implications for Practice: This evaluation underscores the need for ongoing faculty development in clinical assessment. Findings support structured, competency-based programs in enhancing self-efficacy, professional growth, and certification readiness.

Streaming Media

Date

Spring 3-26-2025

First Advisor

Dr. Jennifer Sternberg

Scholarly Project Team Member

Dr. Kathryn Dambrino

Scholarly Project Team Member

Dr. David Phillippi

Scholarly Project Team Member

Dr. Jessica Savage

Scholarly Project Team Member

Dr. Tammy Legge

Department

Nursing, School of

College

Health Sciences & Nursing, Gordon E. Inman College of

Document Type

Poster

Degree

Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Grantor

Belmont University

Keywords

Clinical nurse educator; Nursing education; Faculty development; Clinical teaching; Preceptor training; Program evaluation; CIPP Framework; Self-efficacy; Assessment and evaluation strategies; AACN Essentials; Competency-based education; Online learning; Summative evaluation; Nurse Educator Certification; Professional development

Additional Files
MarquartR DNP Poster.pdf (2365 kB)
Doctor of Nursing Practice, Scholarly Project Poster
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