Orientation, Evaluation, and Integration of Part-Time Nursing Faculty

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Part-time clinical nursing faculty are crucial in prelicensure nursing education.
• Understanding their experiences with orientation, evaluation, and integration is vital for program quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and describe orientation, evaluation, and integration practices for part-time clinical nursing faculty.
• To identify areas where faculty feel well-informed and areas needing improvement.

Main Methods:

• A researcher-designed, web-based survey was administered to a convenience sample of part-time clinical nursing faculty.
• Survey questions focused on the extent and nature of orientation, evaluation, and integration.
• Descriptive statistics were employed for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Respondents reported an average of four hours of orientation, with nearly half receiving two hours or less.
• Evaluative feedback was more frequently received from students than from full-time faculty.
• Faculty reported being well-informed about student evaluation procedures but less informed about curriculum and policy changes.

Conclusions:

• Current orientation practices for part-time clinical nursing faculty may be insufficient.
• Enhanced support and information regarding curriculum and policy are needed for these faculty members.
• Further investigation into optimizing faculty integration and evaluation processes is warranted.