Nurse Educator Certificate Program

The Canadian Nurse Educator Certificate Program fosters excellence in the academic nurse educator role and provides recognition and merit for the specialized knowledge, expertise, and competencies of this role in Canada.

The aim of the program is to foster excellence in the academic nurse educator role and to provide recognition and merit for the specialized knowledge, expertise, and competencies of this role in Canada. Upon successful completion of all three modules, participants will be prepared to write the comprehensive final exam. Participants who are successful on the comprehensive final exam are awarded the designation Canadian Certified Nurse Educator (CCNE). The CCNE is an important marker of professional excellence for nurse educators in Canada. The CCNE certification exam entitles the successful exam writers to the right to use the CCNE professional designation for 5 years.

The program is designed for the following participants:

  • nurse educators teaching in nursing programs (LPN, RPN, or RN programs)
  • clinical nurse educators
  • graduate students interested in an academic career

Participants must be a registered nurse in their jurisdiction. A graduate degree in nursing is recommended but not required.


The program is held online via Zoom and Moodle.

  • Participation in the live module webinars.
  • Module discussion forums.
  • Submission of an electronic portfolio.
  • Successful completion of the final online examination.

Please note that to complete the course requirements, you will require access to an online academic library system to retrieve required course readings.

Cost per Module

  • $500 per module for participants from CASN member schools.
  • $550 per module for non-member participants.

Registration includes the following:

  • Four 2-hour live webinars.
  • Instruction from, correspondence with, and support from a highly qualified nurse educator.
  • Discussion forums.
  • Final online exam.
  • Certificates of successful completion.

Please note that the course is offered in English, and registration is limited. The registration fee does not include the cost of the required course text. Participants are responsible for purchasing the required text.

Page-Cutrara, K., & Bradley, P. (Eds.). (2020). The role of the nurse educator in Canada. Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.

Dr. Patricia Bradley, MEd, PhD, RN, CCNE

Dr. Patricia Bradley is a highly qualified and well-respected nurse educator who has extensive experience in Canada and the United States. Pat is Professor Emerita at the School of Nursing at York University. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Community Nursing at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, a Master’s in Education with a focus on curriculum at St. Michael’s College in Vermont, USA, a Master’s of Science in Nursing at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, USA, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the University of San Diego, USA. She was the recipient of the President’s University-Wide Teaching Award in 2012, and in 2011 she was the recipient of both a teaching innovation award from the Council of Ontario University Programs of Nursing (COUPN) and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) Excellence in Nursing Education Award. Pat’s recent research has focused on the experience and intervention initiatives to assist internationally educated nurses’ transition into the health care setting. She is passionate about nursing and teaching, and is committed to ensuring students are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide safe and quality nursing care.

Dr. Karin Page-Cutrara, PhD, RN, CCNE, CCSNE

Dr. Karin Page-Cutrara is Associate Dean, Teaching Learning and Academic Programs in the Faculty of Health, and Associate Professor, Teaching Stream in the School of Nursing at York University in Toronto, Canada. Karin obtained a BNSc at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and a Master of Nursing at Athabasca University, Alberta. She completed doctoral studies in 2015 at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, focusing on the use of simulation in undergraduate nursing education. She has taught as a perioperative clinical nurse educator in the hospital setting, and in perioperative nursing programs in various colleges. Karin currently uses simulation in teaching thinking skills and for developing nursing competencies in baccalaureate nursing students. Karin has authored articles on simulation prebriefing in peer-reviewed nursing journals. She is committed to addressing the challenges of teaching and learning in the academic setting, and to facilitating undergraduate student learning and competency development in nursing and the health disciplines.

Cancellations

  • Registrations that are cancelled up to 1 week before the start of the course will be refunded minus a $50 administrative fee.
  • Registrations that are cancelled with less than 1 week’s notice will not be refunded, though the participant will have the option to defer the cost of the course to apply to another CNEI/CASN course.
  • There will be no refunds issued once the course begins.
  • CASN reserves the right to cancel this course if it does not meet minimal group requirements.

Course Content

  • Participants are responsible for access to any course materials, including articles and textbooks.
  • There will be no make-up assignments accepted.
  • Assignments will not be re-marked.
  • Late submissions will not be accepted, unless under exceptional circumstances.

Please see our complete academic policies.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the course, please contact education@casn.ca.


Module 1: Teaching-Learning Philosophies and Theories

Dates

September 2026.

Time Frame

8 weeks total (4 synchronous weeks, 2 asynchronous weeks, one exam, and 1 week for the e-portfolio submission).

Module Competencies

By the end of this module, participants will have met the following educator competencies:

  • Integrates learning theories to create optimal conditions for the development of knowledge, skills, attitude, and judgement.
  • Aligns personal teaching and learning philosophy with academic perspectives.
  • Distinguishes between scholarship and scholarly activities.
  • Critically appraises scholarly work on teaching and learning.
  • Demonstrates rigorous and reflective thinking related to teaching and learning.
  • Generates meaningful insights regarding teaching and learning through the synthesis of existing knowledge.

This module is one of three modules making up the CASN Nurse Educator Program. Participants who complete all three modules in the program and pass the comprehensive exam covering the content of the three modules will be awarded a CASN Nurse Educator Program Certificate. Participants who successfully fulfill the requirements for this module will receive a document recognizing that they have completed Module 1 of the program.


Module 2: Curriculum and Design

Dates

Section A (Wednesdays, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern time)

  • Starts January 21, 2026
  • E-portfolio: March 4
  • Exam: March 11
  • Instructors: Pat Bradley & Shelley Cobbett, with support from Stephanie Atthill

Section B (Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Eastern time)

  • Starts January 22, 2026
  • E-portfolio: March 5
  • Exam: March 12
  • Instructors: Karin Page-Cutrara & Edward Cruz, with support from Stephanie Atthill

Time Frame

8 weeks.

Module Competencies

By the end of this module, participants will have developed the following educator competencies:

  • Applies theoretical and research based knowledge to course development.
  • Describes a variety of theoretical approaches for developing curriculum.
  • Identifies a variety of theoretical models for developing programs.
  • Articulates links between courses, curricula and programs.
  • Formulates program and course goals, objectives, competencies, and outcomes.
  • Embeds evaluation in course design.
  • Describes approaches to curriculum evaluation.
  • Describes approaches to program evaluation.
  • Develops a variety of assessment instruments to evaluate outcomes.
  • Distinguishes between scholarship and scholarly activities.
  • Critically appraises scholarly work on teaching and learning.
  • Demonstrates rigorous and reflective thinking related to teaching and learning.
  • Generates meaningful insights regarding teaching and learning through the synthesis of existing knowledge.
  • Articulates a plan for public dissemination of scholarly work.
  • Uses a variety of approaches to provide constructive, thoughtful, timely feedback to learners.
  • Shares teaching expertise with colleagues and others.
  • Develops interprofessional educational experiences for learners.
  • Creates learning environments that foster engagement in global settings.

This module is one of three modules making up the Canadian Nurse Educator Certificate Program. Participants pass the comprehensive exam will be awarded the Canadian Certified Nurse Educator (CCNE) designation. Participants who successfully fulfill the requirements for this module will receive a soft copy of a certificate recognizing that they have completed Module 2 of the program.


Module 3: Teaching-Learning Strategies

Dates

Section A (Wednesdays, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern time)

  • Starts March 25, 2026
  • E-portfolio: May 6
  • Exam: May 13
  • Instructors: Pat Bradley & Edward Cruz, with support from Shelley Cobbett

Section B (Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Eastern time)

  • Starts March 26, 2026
  • E-portfolio: May 7
  • Exam: May 14
  • Instructors: Karin Page-Cutrara & Stephanie Atthill, with support from Shelley Cobbett

Time Frame

8 weeks.

Module Competencies

By the end of this module, participants will have developed the following educator competencies:

  • Employs strategies to engage learners in diverse settings.
  • Uses a variety of approaches to provide constructive, thoughtful, timely feedback to learners.
  • Shares teaching expertise with colleagues and others.
  • Creates learning opportunities for diverse learners and learning styles.
  • Develops a variety of assessment instruments to evaluate outcomes.
  • Implements learner-focused formative evaluation strategies.
  • Implements learner-focused summative evaluation strategies.
  • Implements a variety of learner-centered teaching strategies.
  • Uses a variety of strategies to evaluate learners across multiple domains.
  • Distinguishes between scholarship and scholarly activities.
  • Critically appraises scholarly work on teaching and learning.
  • Demonstrates rigorous and reflective thinking related to teaching and learning.
  • Generates meaningful insights regarding teaching and learning through the synthesis of existing knowledge.
  • Articulates a plan for public dissemination of scholarly work.
  • Recognizes the ethical dimensions of the teacher–learner relationship.
  • Develops interprofessional educational experiences for learners.
  • Creates learning environments that foster engagement in global settings.

This module is one of three modules making up the Canadian Nurse Educator Certificate Program. Participants who pass the comprehensive exam will be awarded the Canadian Certified Nurse Educator (CCNE) designation. Participants who successfully fulfill the requirements for this module will receive a document recognizing that they have completed Module 3 of the program.