Due to the complex challenges facing schools of nursing, a research study was implemented to introduce nurse faculty at one small rural northeastern Tennessee school of nursing to the NLN "Core Competencies for Nurse Educators". Utilizing Kalb's Nurse Faculty Self-Evaluation Tool as a pre- and post-intervention test, 30 nurse faculty members participated in a quasi-experimental quantitative study and focus group interview. Clinical adjunct staff members participated in a test-retest process to establish tool reliability with somewhat mixed results. The overall study demonstrated that participants did exhibit a significant increase in knowledge and ability of the NLN "Core Competencies for Nurse Educators", via paired-samples t-tests. The focus group participants' data provided rich, contextual validation of the quantitative results. Implications for future research include examination of credentials required to enter nurse faculty practice, exploring the potential for continuing education programs for schools of nursing, and studying a prospective plan for accrediting bodies to develop consistent guidelines outlining development of graduate degree programs for nurse educators. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]