Nurse educators' self-efficacy for teaching mathematics for nursing practice

Background: Mathematics teaching practices vary across nursing programs given the lack of guidance from accrediting bodies and organizations. Nurse educators are often tasked to teach quantitative concepts. Aim: This study describes nurse educators' self-efficacy and confidence in teaching mathematics, and whether nurse educators have the necessary resources to support students' quantitative education. Methods: This descriptive quantitative study incorporated Likert-style and open-ended questions. Educators who teach nursing students completed an online survey to report their self-efficacy and confidence for teaching mathematics. Results: Participating nurse educators were generally confident in teaching mathematics for nursing, with most survey items having a mean score of 3 or greater (out of 4). Participants exhibited lower perceived confidence to motivate students, explain why certain calculations "work," and support them to use multiple solution methods (means less than 3). Nurse educators noted they are "not a math teacher" and "afraid of math." Conclusion: Nurse educators need meaningful professional development regarding mathematics pedagogy. Institutions should evaluate their current structures, curriculum, and instructional practices to ensure educators can adequately support nursing students' quantitative education. (c) 2024 Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, includ