Clinical practice and the graduate nursing faculty

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Academic Practice Integration

Background:

• Graduate nursing faculty face challenges balancing clinical practice, teaching, and scholarly work.
• Existing academic structures may not adequately support or reward demonstrated clinical practice excellence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the necessity of institutional frameworks supporting graduate nursing faculty in clinical practice.
• To advocate for the integration and recognition of practice excellence within academic roles.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of faculty responsibilities in nursing education.
• Discussion of the challenges in balancing academic and clinical demands.

Main Results:

• A formulated plan is essential to balance practice, teaching, and scholarly work without sacrificing clinical engagement.
• Limited value is often placed on clinical excellence in faculty promotion and tenure decisions.

Conclusions:

• Universities must establish supportive frameworks that offer opportunities and rewards for faculty practice excellence.
• Encouraging faculty to actively demonstrate practice models can elevate the image and recognition of the nursing profession.