The work-role transition of expert clinician to novice academic educator

The shortage of academic nurse educators has many baccalaureate programs recruiting master's-prepared clinical experts to fill faculty vacancies. A work-role transition occurs when entering a new community of practice. Naturalistic inquiry guided this study involving 18 nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists in their first or second year of full-time teaching in a baccalaureate program. Analysis of data from semistructured interviews with participants resulted in six patterns. These patterns are depicted in the metaphor of a mermaid entering a "sea of academia." Patterns included sitting on the shore, splashing in the shallows, drowning, treading water, beginning strokes, and throughout the waters. Findings present insight into the holistic experience of the work-role transition, viewing it from psychological, sociological, and cognitive perspectives. Nurse educators and nursing education administrators can use this information in designing effective orientation programs to facilitate healthy transition.