An international panel perspective: Exploring nursing scholarship in academia

Area of Science:

• Nursing Scholarship
• Academic Models
• Faculty Promotion

Background:

• Boyer's framework defines scholarship (discovery, teaching, integration, application, engagement).
• The scholarship component of application, including goal-based clinical practice, is frequently undervalued in academic promotion models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nursing activities recognized as scholarship within international academic models.
• To identify how Boyer's scholarship components are represented in nursing academia.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Delphi approach with an international panel of nine nursing experts from seven countries.
• Conducted a structured brainstorming session with six follow-up sessions to analyze nursing activities qualifying as scholarship.

Main Results:

• Nursing activities most recognized as scholarship align with discovery, teaching, and integration.
• Few activities were identified as scholarship within the application or engagement components.
• Recommendations for academic models predominantly targeted the scholarship component of engagement.

Conclusions:

• Academic models' limited appreciation for application (goal-based clinical practice) and engagement (community partnerships) discourages faculty participation.
• These undervalued nursing activities are essential for professional development and the discipline's advancement.
• Revising academic models is necessary to acknowledge and promote all facets of nursing scholarship.