Don’t Cry Yourself a River: A Framework to Bridge the Clinical-to- Academia Transition Gap

Saturday, 23 February 2019: 10:25 AM

Sara K. Kaylor, EdD, RN, CNE
The Capstone College of Nursing, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
Megan E. Pfitzinger Lippe, PhD, MSN, RN
Capstone College of Nursing, University of Alabama, Northport, AL, USA

Every day, demands on the healthcare system grow as the number of patients requiring services exponentially expands. These increasing demands have resulted in a projected nursing shortage, which has consequently resulted in a heightened demand for academic nursing programs to educate more future nurses. Given current and future faculty shortages, academic nursing institutions around the country must invest in efforts to retain faculty and staff by fostering a work environment in which physical and mental health and wellbeing is a priority.

The transition from the clinical arena to academia can be challenging for even the most experienced of nurses. Many new nurse faculty experience frustration in navigating the culture of an academic work environment—one that vastly differs from the clinical setting in terms of values, expectations, language, relationships, policies, and procedures (Grassley & Lambe, 2015; McDermid, Peters, Jackson, & Daly, 2012; White, Brannan, Wilson, 2010). Structured mentoring programs ease the transition of integrating new faculty into the academic culture (Grassley & Lambe, 2015; White et al., 2010), yet a spirit of collaboration and effective leadership are needed at the organizational level in order to ensure the success of such mentorships.

Experienced nurses within the clinical arena are often familiar with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN, 2016) Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments. These six (6) evidence-based standards reflect relationship-centered principles of professional performance to ensure excellent nursing practice and optimal outcomes for patients and their families (AACN, 2016). Similarly, experienced nurse faculty often abide by essential leadership tenets to promote high performing, supportive work environments in academe. The Kouzes & Posner (2012) Leadership Model describes “Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership” that easily align with AACN’s Standards, and—when used in conjunction—promotes a framework that may serve to bridge the transition gap between clinical and academic work environments. The purpose of this presentation is to align the AACN Healthy Work Environment Standards with the Kouzes & Posner Leadership Model as a framework for enhancing professional wellbeing within academic environments. A comparison and integration of the two models will be considered, strategies for application and integration within the academic organization will be discussed, and potential obstacles and barriers to employee engagement will be explored.

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