Out of a total faculty of 32 at a major metropolitan university in the mid-Atlantic region, seven participate in the program (22%). The group is comprised of experienced, master’s prepared clinicians who are currently employed as clinical faculty members. The group is diverse, including 43% African Americans and, 14% male. The majority of the group are enrolled in DNP programs (77%) with the remainder in PhD programs in nursing and the doctoral programs span four states. Each faculty in the program is released from teaching one course per semester in exchange for successful progression in a doctoral program. A state grant pays for two full-time visiting instructors to cover these course releases. Participants are informed of multiple local and national opportunities for tuition coverage. Finally, the faculty-scholars were assigned a mentor specifically for their process. The mentor is an experienced, PhD prepared and tenured faculty member who is able to provide guidance on specific issues related to courses and faculty issues such teaching, evaluation, committees, promotion, and retention within the department and university. The group and the mentor meet formally four times during the year.
Methods: A focus group was conducted at the end of year one.
Results: Findings included the substantial value of peer support and faculty mentoring. Other findings including the importance of financial assistance for returning to school and information provided about opportunities for funding and scholarship.
Conclusion: Full-time nursing faculty derive considerable benefit from course-release time, peer support, and mentoring to guide transitions for clinical faculty into academic roles.