Leaving Academia: Work Experiences and Career Decisions of Former Nurse Faculty

Purpose: Faculty shortages are a primary obstacle to increasing the supply of potential nurses. Research indicates that few academically qualified nurses are choosing to work in faculty jobs. Among nurse faculty, reported turnover intention rates are high.  Faculty departures for non-academic positions contribute to the growing shortage.  There is no published literature about the experiences of former nurse faculty, or the factors that influenced departure decisions. The purpose of this research is to understand the faculty work experience and identify career decision factors from the perspective of former nurse faculty.  There are three research questions: 1) How do former full-time nurse faculty describe the faculty work experience? 2) What factors influenced the decision to leave a faculty position? 3) What changes to the faculty work experience would make a full-time nurse faculty position more enticing?

Methods: This is a qualitative study using Maxwell’s (2013) interactive model for qualitative research.  The investigator has purposefully selected a sample of former nurse faculty members to interview about work experiences and career decisions.  Data collection and analysis are ongoing. The data will be coded, sorted into themes, and then broader substantive categories. Substantive categories will be examined for connection and fit within the conceptual framework.

Results: Results are pending final data collection and analysis. 

Conclusion: The conclusions are pending until final research results are completed.