Work Role Perspectives of Clinical Instructors From Three Countries.

BACKGROUND: Educational institutions partner with health facilities to provide clinical education, but the impact of these partnerships on clinical instructors is rarely examined.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study was used to obtain surveys from a convenience sample of clinical instructors (n = 135) working in Israel, Norway, and the United States. The Nursing Clinical Instruction Role Assessment Tool (N-CIRAT) was developed to elicit clinical instructors' perspectives on the importance and nature of their work roles.

FINDINGS: The N-CIRAT exhibited good reliability and revealed three different work roles: educator, hospital partner, and patient advocate. The educator work role did not differ by primary employer; it did for the work role of hospital partner (p < .05) and patient advocate (p < .05). Patient advocate work role importance was rated high for all clinical instructors.

CONCLUSION: The educator role of clinical nurse educators, including being a role model and encouraging reflection, is universal among clinical instructors.