LAUSR

n the early 2000s, the National League for Nursing (NLN) identified the need to articulate the role of the academic nurse educator. This resulted in the identification of the full scope of the role of the academic nurse educator through the development of evidence-based competencies and related task statements. In early 2015, the idea for articulating the specific role of the academic clinical nurse educator began to take root. The NLN formed a task group to analyze the literature with the idea of developing role competencies and task statements related to the academic clinical nurse educator role. The task group arrived at consensus on the role and presented the resulting competencies and related task statements to the NLN community for review and feedback. After comments were considered by the task group, the final version of the competencies and task statements was released (Shellenbarger, 2018). Based on the delineation of the role of the academic clinical nurse educator, a decision was made to move forward with the development of a certification examination. A practice analysis was developed, and academic clinical nurse educators were asked to assist in validation of the task statements associated with the role. The results of the practice analysis provided the basis for the creation of a certification test blueprint. After certification exam test items were developed, two forms of an exam were established, and pilot testing was conducted in the late summer/fall of 2018. After passing scores were psychometrically set, the Certified Academic Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE®cl) certification program was officially launched in October 2018.