LA CROSSE (WKBT) — Governor Tony Evers has approved an emergency rule allowing more qualified registered nurses to teach clinical courses.

Previously, nurse educators needed a master’s degree to teach in clinical settings. Under the new rule, experienced registered nurses with appropriate credentials and supervision can now step into those roles.

Healthcare leaders say the shift recognizes the value of hands-on experience in training future nurses.

“To allow them to have an avenue to continue to share their wisdom and their knowledge by teaching with this flexible rule is just going to be great on both ends for our new people coming in and also those who are currently here,” says Andrea Hauser, chief nursing officer at Emplify Health by Gundersen.

Hauser says learning directly from working nurses is already a key part of clinical education.

“Every day we have nursing students here being taught by incredible nurses and I would say that those hands-on day-to-day skills and life knowledge that these nurses have learned and acquired over the years is absolutely perfect to be teaching,” Hauser says.

At Viterbo University, nursing program leaders say the change could help ease a persistent shortage of instructors.

“It’s harder to find nurses with a minimum of a master’s degree who are able and available to teach on a particular clinical day,” says Jennifer Hedrick-Erickson, assistant dean for the College of Nursing and Health.

The Wisconsin Board of Nursing is still working to finalize the specific credentials required under the new rule. Hedrick-Erickson says there is hope the changes could be in place for students soon.

“The Board of Nursing will create the rules in hopes of them being approved and we’re hopeful to be able to use this in spring semester,” she says.

Nurse educators will still need a master’s degree to teach lecture-based courses. However, the Wisconsin Nurses Association says the added flexibility in clinical instruction could also inspire more nurses to consider teaching roles.

“When these nurses get into that clinical instructor role that maybe they might want to pursue education as a nurse educator and wouldn’t that be fantastic,” says Gina Dennik-Champion, chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Nurses Association.

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