Retooling faculty orientation

Are nursing faculty gradually becoming extinct? The answer is yes if we rely on National League for Nursing statistics indicating that 13 per cent of the nurses pursuing advanced education are directing their studies toward a teaching career and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Division of Nursing statistics indicating a total decline of 30 per cent in employed nurse educators during a 4-year period. New faculty are currently being recruited from the ranks of clinicians or from those with an administration specialization. The scarcity of faculty with adequate preparation to teach will affect quality education unless mechanisms to recruit, nurture, and retain qualified faculty are developed. This article addresses the use of a formalized orientation program to develop and socialize new faculty members into the academic setting in an expeditious manner. A general and specific orientation program was developed that began 6 weeks before employment and spanned one semester. Examples of the tools that were developed and used for orientation are included. Three new faculty have participated in the orientation process and have become valued team members. The results indicate that they benefited from a modular approach, which includes ongoing support meetings and the use of a mentor.