Best Practices for Mentoring Novice Academia Faculty Members

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2014), a total of 1,181 full-time nursing faculty vacancies are reported along with 103 additional schools reporting that they need additional faculty members. The average age of current faculty ranges from 51.7 to 61.3 years.  It is projected that approximately 600 faculty members will retire before 2018.  Addressing this critical challenge of hiring novice faculty members to fill these positions is imperative at this time.  As schools of nursing carefully consider how to fill these positions, the question of keeping those individuals who are hired is fundamental and essential.  Job satisfaction is linked to variables such as stress, commitment, communication, and autonomy.  Careful consideration of the best practices for mentoring and retaining these novice academia faculty members must take an enhanced responsibility. This presentation will present best practices used to channel novice educators along with advanced nursing professional into a sound understanding and commitment to the faculty role.  Individuals come to the faculty role from two unique directions.  One group comes with the educational preparation for being an educator but minimum clinical foundation. Another group arrives to academia with years of working in the clinical setting but minimum educational expertise. Both groups must be mentored uniquely.  The best practices will provide strategies for meeting these groups and individuals in a positive and supportive manner.