Identifying clinical scholarship guidelines for faculty practice

Clear descriptors of faculty practice and scholarly activities are essential to precisely demonstrate that the faculty practice role meets the standards of academic advancement and to influence academic policy. A description of scholarly clinical activities (1) justifies the benefits of faculty practice by means other than fiscal, (2) provides data for research regarding faculty practice, and (3) provides data to support the nursing profession's political, social, and health care agendas. Guidelines for clinical scholarship are described in this article. A review of relevant literature demonstrates that these guidelines go beyond current models by describing 24 scholarly activities organized into 4 areas: quality, governance, leadership, and knowledge development. Three years of data describing the scholarly activities of a college of nursing faculty engaged in practice are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the indicators in achieving these goals. These data can provide valuable information for trend analysis and, through heightened awareness of opportunities, increase faculty clinical scholarship activities.