Future-proofing nursing scholarship and nursing education: A critical analysis of nurse educator preparation for higher education

Background: Nurse educators play a crucial role in developing the next generation of nurses as clinical practitioners and scholars who will take up various positions in the health system and the profession. Appropriate educational preparation and ongoing professional advancement of nurse educators is vital for producing nursing professionals capable of meeting 21st century health ideals such as universal health coverage. Purpose: The aim is to critically analyse the new system for nurse educator preparation in the context of higher education in South Africa. The purpose of the analysis is to systematically examine and evaluate the rationality and applicability of the provisions and standards for preparing nurse educators for their future roles. Method: We conducted a desktop document review of applicable policies, regulations, reports and texts, and a document analysis to uncover and describe underlying meaning conveyed by the content, context and commentary. Main findings: This analysis revealed programme deficiencies in preparing nurse educators for research and scholarship and a future nurse educator workforce equipped to teach mainly in undergraduate programmes. Pedagogical standards were found to be internationally comparable despite variations in the levels of academic qualification and the routes to qualifying as a nurse educator. Conclusion: Future-proofing nursing scholarship requires a shift in the current thinking about nurse educator preparation for higher education practice and the nursing scholar discourse. The development of nursing scholars in both clinical and academic settings is key.