Attracting students to the professorate: a faculty shadowing experience

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Faculty Development

Background:

• The nursing profession faces a critical faculty shortage due to retiring baby boomers and declining interest in academic careers.
• This shortage impacts the pipeline of future nurses and the quality of nursing education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an innovative program designed to introduce undergraduate nursing students to the faculty role.
• To assess the program's effectiveness in sparking interest in academic careers within nursing.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an undergraduate student shadowing experience focused on the faculty role.
• Analysis of student interest, perceived motivators, and deterrents related to nursing academia.

Main Results:

• The shadowing program aims to identify and cultivate potential nursing faculty from the undergraduate student population.
• Data on student perceptions will inform strategies for enhancing recruitment into nursing education.

Conclusions:

• Innovative approaches are needed to address the nursing faculty shortage.
• Early exposure to the academic role can potentially increase the pool of future nursing educators.