Advancing a program of research within a nursing faculty role.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Academic Career Development
• Scholarly Productivity

Background:

• Doctoral students and new faculty frequently seek guidance on research advancement.
• Key decisions include dissertation format (manuscript vs. traditional) and postdoctoral training.
• New faculty consider career development awards and mentorship amidst teaching, service, and practice demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review literature on pre- and postdoctoral training and faculty strategies impacting scholarly productivity.
• To offer practical strategies for success based on experiences at a research-intensive nursing school.
• To highlight the need for empirical data on the effectiveness of these strategies.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of factors influencing scholarly productivity.
• Qualitative synthesis of practical experiences from a nursing school setting.
• Initiation of data collection to assess strategy impact on student and faculty productivity.

Main Results:

• Selected aspects of training and faculty strategies influence scholarly productivity.
• Mentorship and appropriate career development pathways are crucial for academic success.
• There is a recognized scarcity of empirical research evaluating these strategies.

Conclusions:

• Implementing evidence-informed training and faculty strategies can enhance research output.
• Mentorship and strategic career planning are vital for early-career academics in nursing.
• Further research is needed to quantify the impact of specific strategies on scholarly productivity.