Non-tenured Faculty Mentoring Initiative: Outcomes and Lessons Learned

30^th World Congress on Advanced Nursing Practice

September 04-06, 2017 | Edinburgh, Scotland

Deborah L Cullen

Indiana University School of Nursing, USA

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Adv Practice Nurs

Abstract :

Formal developmental mentoring programs in schools of nursing are not widespread, but interest in their integration is rising. Successful mentoring can lead to increased productivity, compensation, and job satisfaction. Problem: Non-tenured nursing faculty may have high service and teaching responsibilities with little focused career coaching. The lack of investment in human capital can lead to faculty disengagement, turnover and a poor work climate. Recent studies revealed that non-tenure track nursing faculty require planned programs and mentoring strategies unique to their role and abilities.. Methods. A two-year mentoring initiative was developed to enhance doctorally prepared clinical assistant nursing professorsâ�� ability to achieve promotion to associate rank in the university. The structured activities guided 15 prot�©g�©sâ�� development toward a better understanding of promotion requirements and scholarship expectations. Careful matching of prot�©g�©s and mentors was carried out for two cohorts of 8 and then 7 faculty prot�©g�©s. The mentoring elements focused on improving knowledge about promotion, available university resources and scholarly writing. Measures via surveys over time observed statistically significant results for Knowledge (promotion, resources) and Mentoring Experience. Results: Dissemination of scholarly nurse practice articles and abstracts noted a 3-fold increase and faculty knowledge about promotion improved. Non-tenure track assistant professors were ripe for a structured approach to faculty promotion. Their voices were strong with the desire to be valued and receive programming to better assist them with promotion.

Biography :

Deborah L Cullen is a respiratory specialist and has education as a medical educator. She is a Professor of the Science of Nursing Care at Indiana University in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. As an Affiliate Member of the Joanna Briggs Institute, she is an expert in teaching evidence-based practice and specializes in conducting meta-analyses of quantitative and qualitative findings. Dr. Cullen also is interested in measures, interventions, and therapy related to infant suffocation and COPD dyspnea, in particular monitoring and patient teaching practices. She is a mentor to students and colleagues and has published extensively in the mentoring literature. Currently, she directs a mentoring program which promotes activities for non-tenured faculty towards promotion.