11/28/2017 Excellence Model

The Voice of Nursing Education

Excellence Model
As they fulfill various roles - providing high quality care to individuals, families, and communities;
teaching effectively; influencing public policy; conducting research; providing leadership in the
delivery of nursing services; or creating a preferred future for the profession itself - nurses of
today and tomorrow need to:

! understand the principles that underlie their practice

! know how to find, manage, and use information

! be comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty

! be leaders and agents for change

! think critically and communicate effectively

! function effectively in the face of conflict

! manage constant change, including technological developments

Preparing nurses of this caliber calls for educational programs and teaching of the highest quality. The
Excellence in Nursing Education Model (pdf) developed by the National League for Nursing, depicts eight
core elements required to achieve and sustain this excellence as well as many of the components relevant to
each:

! Clear Program Standards and Hallmarks that Raise Expectations

! Well-prepared Faculty

! Qualified Students

! Well-prepared Educational Administrators

! Evidence-based Programs and Teaching/Evaluation Methods

! Quality and Adequate Resources

! Student-centered, Interactive, and Innovative Programs and Curricula

! Recognition of Expertise

The model explicates many of the components relevant to each major element, but it is not intended to be
exhaustive or all-inclusive. For example:

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11/28/2017 Excellence Model

Having a well-prepared faculty means a balance of individuals whose expertise lies in different areas - clinical
practice, research, and education. A faculty composed largely of researchers with few academic leaders will not
have the leadership needed to guide curriculum innovation, contribute to the work of the academy, engage in
evidence-based teaching practices, transform nursing education, and build the science of nursing education. A
school's faculty should reflect a balance of expert clinicians who can teach, expert researchers and grant writers
who can teach, and expert teachers who are pedagogical scholars.

Student-centered, interactive, and innovative programs and curricula should be designed to promote leadership
in students, develop students' thinking skills, reflect new models of learning and practice, effectively integrate
technology, promote a lifelong career commitment in students, include intra- and interdisciplinary learning
experiences, and prepare students for the roles they will assume.

Each major element's extension facilitates understanding of the complexity of the educational enterprise and
stimulates thinking among faculty about the concepts of excellence and achieving excellence in nursing
education. The model has relevance for all types of nursing education programs - practical nurse, associate
degree, diploma, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral.

Faculty members and graduate student in teacher preparation programs will have unique perspectives on the
meaning of the elements in the context of their academic setting and may identify additional factors that define
them.

Permission for non-commercial use of the Excellence in Nursing Education Model (pdf) is granted free of
charge. Individuals do not need to contact the NLN for specific permission for non-commercial use (including
for academic presentation/lecture, thesis or dissertation, or DNP project). In granting permission for non-
commercial use, it is understood that the following caveats will be respected:

1. It is the sole responsibility of the user to determine whether the NLN model is appropriate to the intended use
by the individual or school of nursing.

2. When published or printed, using the NLN model must be properly cited [National League for Nursing.
(2006). Excellence in nursing education model. New York: National League for Nursing]. If the content was
modified in any way, this must also be clearly indicated in the text, footnotes and endnotes of all materials where
use of the model is published or printed.

Permission for commercial use of the model must be obtained from the NLN. Commercial use includes
publishing in journals, books, or inclusion in any product that is sold. Please submit a written request
to cpermission@nln.org. In most instances, requests for permission are reviewed within 4 weeks of their
receipt.

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The Voice for Nursing Education

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