Development of educator competencies and the professional review process.

As staff development educators prepare themselves and their organizations for forthcoming healthcare challenges, educators influence the practice of staff development through the use of competencies. Because competencies and peer review are expectations for staff, educator competencies and educator professional review should be essential for those who train staff. Based upon the American Nurses Association Standards of Practice, National Nursing Staff Development Organization research, and Patricia Benner's work, competencies for educators reflect practice levels from novice to expert and challenge educators to attain levels of excellence in practice. Use of educator competencies includes the professional review process components of peer input, self-evaluation, and portfolio development. Portfolio development provides documentation of educator accomplishments for the organization. This approach to educator competencies serves as a strategy to position educators to meet healthcare demands and demonstrates leadership in the profession. The staff development educators at a large Midwestern health system have refined this process during the past 2 years, and their unique approach to educator competencies and professional review can benefit both individual educators and healthcare organizations now and in the future.