Nurse educator orientation: professional development that promotes retention

Formalized orientation can prepare and socialize nurse educators for academic roles, increasing job satisfaction and retention. This article describes a community college nursing faculty orientation program that includes goals, pre- and post-assessment, a group-determined instructional plan, support and mentoring, and outcomes evaluation. Posttest scores showed that at program completion, perceived teaching competency was either the same or greater in all identified skill areas (increase of 40% to 60% above the original group baseline). Nurse educator participants reported that the program contributed to their overall perception of support and satisfaction with academia, with open group discussion times rated highest. At the end of 3 years, 91% of novice faculty (n=11) were retained.