ANC Instructor Earns Certification

Tonya Pankey, ANC Associate Degree Nursing Program Director

Tonya Pankey, Arkansas Northeastern College Director of Nursing Has Been Named Certified Nurse Educator

NLN Program Highlights Standout Nurse Faculty

Blytheville, Arkansas – The Arkansas Northeastern College Associate Degree Nursing Program is pleased to announce that its Director Tonya Pankey 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.

Blytheville native, Tonya Pankey graduated from ANC (formerly Mississippi County Community College) in 1990 with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing before earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing in 1999. In 2009, she completed the Master of Science Degree in Nursing with a focus in Nursing Education. Prior to becoming an educator, she spent time working in the field in the areas of oncology, home care and hospice, and case management. She was named in the Top 100 Nurses in Shelby and Fayette Counties, Tennessee, in 2006.

Because of her success in the nursing field, Ms. Pankey was named as Arkansas Northeastern College’s Distinguished Alumni in 2011. That same year, she came back to the College as an instructor in the Associate Degree Nursing Program. She was promoted to the director of the program in August, 2013.  Ms. Pankey is married to Danny, pastor of Ruddle road Church of God in Blytheville, where she volunteers as a Sunday School teacher and church pianist. They have three children, sons Caleb and Joshua live in Fayetteville and their daughter Katie Beth is a senior at Blytheville High School.

In her spare time, Ms. Pankey enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends. She is a devoted teacher who chose to take on the difficult task of becoming a Certified Nurse Educator because she is committed to her profession and viewed the accomplishment as a personal success and a display of “best practices” for her students.

“Ms. Pankey’s dedication to her profession is a testament to the quality of the Arkansas Northeastern College’s Nursing Program. Becoming certified in any field is a mark of professionalism.  Ms. Pankey’s efforts to become a Certified Nursing Instructor communicates to students, peers, and the academic and health care communities that the highest standards of excellence are being met,” stated ANC President Dr. James Shemwell.

“The NLN’s Academic Nurse Educator Certification program has conferred new visibility and stature upon the academic nursing community that is 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.” 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.

The newly certified nurse educators reflect the spectrum of their academic colleagues in the United States:

·         33 percent hold doctoral degrees; the remainder master’s degrees

·         43 percent teach in baccalaureate or higher degree programs; 40 percent in associate degree programs; 5 percent in diploma programs; and 2 percent in practical/vocational nursing programs

·         28 percent hold the rank of assistant professor; 15 percent associate professor; 14 percent full professor

·         50 percent have more than ten years of full time employment experience as academic nurse educators

There are now more than 4,000 certified nursing educators in the continental United States. Many academic nursing programs in colleges and university settings have recognized the importance of the certification and encourage all eligible nursing faculty to become certified.

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, to nursing and nursing education.

Editors and reporters: For interview opportunities, please contact NLN chief communications officer, Karen R. Klestzick, at 212-812-0376, kklestzick@nln.org.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 37,000 individual and more than 1,200 institutional members comprising nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education and health care organizations.