Northeast Alabama Community College is pleased to announce that nursing instructor, Jane S. Hopson, MSN, RN, has earned the designation Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) after meeting strict eligibility criteria and successfully completing a rigorous certification examination developed and administered by the National League for Nursing.

The NLN’s Academic Nurse Educator Certification (ANEC) Program has conferred new visibility and stature upon the academic nursing community, long overdue, said Dr. Beverly Malone, CEO of the NLN. “Through the certification program, we have made clear to the ranks of higher education that the role of nurse educator is an advanced professional practice discipline with a defined practice setting and demonstrable standards of excellence,” she commented. In years to come, she added, it is hoped that certified nurse educators will command higher salaries and be first in line for promotions and tenure.

With nearly half (42.8 percent) of nurse faculty projected to retire within the next decade and nearly three-quarters (69.7 percent) within 15 years, replacing them is of grave concern, noted NLN president Dr. Elaine Tagliareni. “We must encourage more nurse faculty to prepare for certification as nurse educators so that our nursing schools can be staffed by academicians of the highest caliber. Only in this way can excellence in nursing education be ensured for another generation.”

In 2009, 502 nurse educators were awarded the CNE credential. Since the unveiling of the program in fall 2005 through December 31, 2009, 1,993 nurse educators representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands have become CNEs.
“I set a goal last year of achieving credentialing as a Certified Nurse Educator,” said Hopson. “Recognition as an expert in the field of nursing education is a great honor. This is also a tribute to the students, faculty and administration at NACC who supported me in this endeavor.”
Hopson has been a nurse educator for 26 years. She has been an instructor at Northeast since January of 2003 and serves as the LPN Program Coordinator. She holds a bachelor of science in nursing from Jacksonville State University, a master of science in nursing from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and a certified Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  Hopson and her husband, Jimmy, reside at Langston.

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