Developing a clinical teaching handbook and reference manual for part-time clinical faculty

To orient nurses who are already clinical experts to their new role as clinical educators, we developed a department-specific handbook and a reference manual that included materials which could not, as a practical matter, be photocopied extensively. These materials allowed us to quickly orient new clinical instructors to the responsibilities and skills they would need for clinical instruction and supervision. Providing these orientation and training materials also helped solve the clinical nursing faculty shortage at our institution by supporting nurses who, despite expertise in clinical areas, lacked formal training or experience as educators.