Research Competencies in Teachers of the Nursing Career

Introduction: every university must put the greatest interest in the way its teachers are prepared. In the Nursing career, difficulties can be found related to the necessary research progress. It is useful to take into account contemporary technological advances in the development of research competencies of Nursing teachers. 

Objective: Analyze the development of research skills in nursing teachers. Development: in some institutions there are deficiencies that prevent the development of science. Both teachers and the institution must take on the challenge of achieving university professor performance that is consistent with the times and that allows quality standards to be achieved. Scientific production depends largely on the skills that a professor must possess when providing quality teaching in research, which includes the continuing training of professors in postgraduate courses. Research competencies in Nursing teachers are a process that conceives the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes of the teacher. It is necessary for university teachers to assume the importance of research skills. Universities are institutions designed to carry out research, through competent professionals, with the capacity and skills to innovate, motivate, transmit knowledge and adapt to rapid changes.

Conclusions: it is necessary to enhance the knowledge of Nursing teachers regarding the research skills they should have. Provide the necessary elements on research methodology, biostatistics and scientific writing.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), educational trends in Latin America and the Caribbean are inserted in a global context of instability, low economic growth, growing inequalities and an environmental crisis that threatens the planet. It points out that one of the major current problems in the higher education systems of emerging countries is the low level of academic skills for the creation of scientific knowledge of their teachers. This is reflected in a low level of development of research that allows solving the problems that arise in their community [1]. Every university should put the greatest interest in the way its teachers are prepared and how frequently they are trained in the growth of research competencies. If the educator is not sufficiently prepared and updated with the latest educational changes and trends, he will not be able to guide good preparation habits in the students. The new university requires that research be generalized within its processes in a transversal and longitudinal manner, which favors innovation processes and achievement in the training of competent professionals. However, reality is not always consistent with the ideal. The demands of the world of work, everyday life, the context in which professionals develop do not always favor adherence to the idea of ​​the need to transform the problems they face with research. In the Nursing career, difficulties can be found related to the necessary research progress at all times. According to the author's experience, nursing staff report little time to dedicate to scientific activity and reading, lack of motivation and lack of knowledge to identify the need to investigate to solve a problem that arises, many times they only see a administrative route. 

It threatens the adequate development of investigative competence, the lack of infrastructure, as well as allocating time and resources to the professionals in charge of maintaining teaching. The requirement to maintain the professional development plan in a phased and continuous manner is poor. There are gaps in knowledge from the methodological point of view. When research is carried out, difficulty is usually found in small samples, dubious generalizations, descriptive studies and a lack of methodological rigor. To meet the objective of training future highly competitive and humane nursing professionals, so that they participate in the provision of the service in a comprehensive manner, with timely treatment and improvement of the health status of the population, teachers must maintain updating. constant in the research topic. But the reality is that there is a low level of scientific production of projects, scientific articles and investigative texts in favor of the community. The teaching staff has to show in their teaching strategies the ways to acquire knowledge from the route of scientific research. It should always be the need to learn and apprehend that motivates students to find the necessary knowledge. To do this, the Nursing professor must be equipped with skills that allow them to guide the new generations along the inevitable path of science. It is useful to take into account contemporary technological advances in the development of research competencies of Nursing teachers from a perspective adjusted to the times. Although conventional alternatives are usually the paradigm for many, they do not always allow the development of transcendental processes. It is the author's interest to analyze the development of research competencies in Nursing teachers.

Development

In some institutions there are deficiencies that prevent the development of science. The lack of articulation between pedagogical practice and research is frequent, [2] the characteristics of postmodernity, resulting from the acceleration of complex changes and uncertainty, which constantly modify economic, political, social and cultural processes [3]. Another weakness results from the lack of pedagogical, investigative and didactic foundations [4]. Florence began a historical era of research, which places emphasis on the function of professionals as researchers [5]. Both teachers and the institution must take on the challenge of achieving university professor performance that is consistent with the times and that allows quality standards to be achieved. The teacher must prepare to investigate his reality and propose alternative solutions to the educational problems that arise in his daily practice. But the fact cannot be denied that many professors do not participate in this, considering that research is an overload, hiding insufficient preparation [4]. Scientific production depends largely on the skills that a professor must possess when providing quality teaching in research, which includes the continuing training of professors in postgraduate courses. When each educator, from their discipline or subject, does not incorporate their experience as a researcher, the obtaining of results based on science is limited.

Research competencies in Nursing teachers are a process that conceives the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes of the teacher motivated by responsibility with the training of students of the career, with a culture and research approach that impacts life and progress. of the profession [6]. It is the grouping of knowledge related to research topics that contributes to the development of skills and competencies whose purpose is to solve problems related to research [7].

It is necessary for university teachers to assume the importance of research skills. This is decisive in the quality of teaching, research policies and university social responsibility actions [8].

A research teacher must have certain competencies or skills. They can be noted: [9]

• Cognitive ability: Ability to generate new knowledge, connecting pre-existing knowledge with new knowledge that is being acquired. This ability allows us to identify information gaps and solve the different problems related to the subject of study of the discipline.

• Technological skill. It is necessary to master technological tools since they favor the process of searching, processing, analyzing and interpreting the information obtained during the scientific research process.

• Methodological skills: It is necessary to have mastery of techniques, methods of collecting data and analyzing information, in such a way that the study problem can be responded to.

• Research management skills: Referring to the skills that the researcher has to adequately manage resources throughout the research process.

• Teamwork skills.  For the generation of new scientific knowledge, it is necessary to develop harmonious social skills, attitudinal and cognitive qualities that every researcher who develops collaborative work must have.

Universities are institutions designed to carry out research, through competent professionals, with the capacity and skills to innovate, motivate, transmit knowledge and adapt to rapid changes, committed to the community and aware of their social responsibility [10]. Nursing teachers must create learning environments to achieve good research training among their students. This contributes to the institution meeting quality criteria, hence the importance of articulating research and teaching. The researcher teacher has to maintain continuous training as a person, citizen of these times and professional, through the acquisition of essential skills to investigate, analyze and understand reality. He is then the university professor of Nursing, responsible for promoting research in his students, thereby assuming the commitment to professional improvement. You will have to conceive yourself as an imperfect being, with the need to systematize your knowledge. Reveal the learning needs of your students when they do not achieve the proposed competencies. New forms, new edges of the training process, a participatory, heterogeneous, integrative didactics must then be considered. Current events require new strategies, especially when considering the crises experienced, the alternatives assumed in the face of contingencies, which require new formulas.

It is necessary to enhance the knowledge of Nursing teachers regarding the research skills they should have. Provide the necessary elements on research methodology, biostatistics and scientific writing. The development of postgraduate research such as doctorates and master's degrees are necessary so that graduates enhance their knowledge in these topics.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.