Professional Development Trends in Clinical Nurse Education

The clinical nurse educator is often the first person to present and disseminate the latest information to employees. In a time when the educator's resources are limited and there are multiple priorities competing for attention, it can be challenging in the day-to-day workflow to figure out what the latest trend is, as the latest trend is often here and gone in the blink of an eye. While the word “trend” indicates a current style or general direction in which something tends to move, the term “revolution” indicates something more lasting than the latest thing. A revolution points to a fundamental change in power or societal structure that helps to create meaningful change. How does the clinical nurse educator decide if something is simply a trend or a revolution, and what current trends affect the effectiveness of the professional nurse educator?