Exploring nurses' experiences transitioning from clinicians to professors at Ontario colleges

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Academic Transition
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Ontario colleges faced 67 vacant nursing faculty positions in 2022, necessitating recruitment from clinical practice.
• Nurses transitioning to academia often lack pedagogical preparation, leading to stress and potential attrition.
• Addressing faculty shortages requires understanding and supporting the transition of clinical nurses to academic roles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the transition experiences of nurses moving into faculty positions in Ontario.
• To identify strategies for reducing transition stress and enhancing career satisfaction for new nursing professors.
• To decrease early-career nursing faculty attrition in Ontario colleges.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative descriptive study utilizing semi-structured interviews.
• Nine participants from Ontario Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs were interviewed.
• Conventional Content Analysis was employed to analyze interview data.

Main Results:

• Findings revealed significant emotional challenges and varied preparation levels among transitioning nurses.
• Three key themes emerged: emotional aspects, role preparation, and navigating the academic environment.
• Participants expressed a need for enhanced orientation, formal mentorship, and socialization to the nursing professor role.

Conclusions:

• Evidence-informed orientation programs are essential for supporting new nursing faculty.
• Comprehensive training should cover institutional policies, nursing pedagogy, and academic culture adaptation.
• Standardized orientation programs can improve nursing faculty retention and success in Ontario colleges.