Transitional Experiences: From Clinical Nurse to Nurse Faculty

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education Research
• Qualitative Health Research

Background:

• A shortage of nurse faculty impacts nursing student enrollment and the healthcare workforce.
• The transition experiences of clinical nurses entering faculty roles may exacerbate this shortage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the lived experiences of clinical nurses transitioning into the nurse faculty role.
• To understand the challenges and perceptions associated with becoming a nurse educator.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study design.
• Purposive sampling from two midwestern US higher education institutions.
• Data analysis using Colaizzi's phenomenological method.

Main Results:

• Four emergent themes: Perpetual Novice, Faculty as a Resource, Teaching Ambiguity, and Student as My Patient.
• A dominant theme identified was the constant state of change and feeling like a 'perpetual novice' among new faculty.
• New faculty experience significant ambiguity in their teaching roles and responsibilities.

Conclusions:

• Academic nursing programs should implement strategies to support new nurse faculty.
• Investing in faculty development and easing the role transition is essential.
• Addressing the challenges faced by new nurse educators can help mitigate the faculty shortage.