Faculty involvement in undergraduate research: considerations for nurse educators

Undergraduate research has become a hallmark of outstanding colleges and universities over the past decade and is now one of the items included on the National Survey of Student Engagement. Like faculty in other fields, nurse faculty are being asked not only to pursue their own programs of research, but are called upon to promote, facilitate, and supervise undergraduate research. The purpose of this article is to review current research related to the issue of undergraduate research from the perspective of a faculty member's professional career development and overall scholarship in accordance with Boyer's highly regarded model. Significant professional issues related to faculty involvement in undergraduate research are discussed, and suggested strategies for nurse educators are presented.