Abstract
Nurses are crucial to global healthcare delivery and equity. The International Council of Nurses has recently identified the worldwide nursing shortage as a health emergency (Buchan & Catton, 2023). In the U.S., nursing schools have been forced to reject thousands of qualified applicants due to a shortage of faculty (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2024). Effective mentorship and orientation are essential for ensuring a smooth transition into academic roles, fostering faculty success, and addressing the shortage. The U.S. National League for Nursing (NLN) has recognized mentorship programs as vital for cultivating a supportive work environment, promoting professional growth, and enhancing job satisfaction among nurse faculty (NLN, 2022). This presentation outlines the development, implementation, and outcomes of a nursing faculty mentorship pilot program designed to enhance faculty preparedness and retention.
At a private research university in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region, nursing faculty leaders recognized the need for a standardized mentorship program to improve new faculty orientation and integration. Senior nursing faculty developed the Faculty Mentor Program (FMP), which aims to support new full-time faculty in acclimating to their teaching responsibilities and the academic environment. The program’s objectives include improving faculty retention, easing the transition into academia, and fostering community within the university. The NLN Mentoring Toolkit (NLN, 2022) and other pedagogical resources informed the program’s design, structure, and documentation (Billings & Halstead, 2024; Oermann et al., 2024). New faculty are matched with mentors within 30 days of their appointment. Regular mentor/mentee meetings are encouraged to discuss topics such as evidence-based teaching strategies, assessment methods, professional networking, and role balancing. Program tools consist of structured meeting guides and a mentor-mentee tracking document designed to monitor individual progress, establish targeted goals, and offer a set of curated resources. These tools serve to standardize mentorship interactions and support measurable outcomes in professional development. Outcomes of an FMP pilot, initiated in January 2024, indicate positive feedback and sustained mentor/mentee engagement. Faculty mentorship programs hold promise for developing future nursing educators and leaders, ensuring long-term stability and growth in the profession.
Notes
References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2023). Fact sheet: Nursing faculty shortage. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Fact-Sheets/Faculty-Shortage-Factsheet.pdf
Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2024). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (7th ed.). Elsevier.
Buchan, J., & Catton, H. (2023). Recover to rebuild: Investing in the nursing workforce for health system effectiveness. International Council of Nurses. https://www.icn.ch/sites/default/files/2023-07/ICN_Recover-to-Rebuild_report_EN.pdf
The National League for Nursing. (2022). NLN Mentoring Toolkit. https://www.nln.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/nln-mentoring-toolkit-2022.pdf
Oermann, M. H., Gaberson, K. B., De Gagne, J. C. (2024). Evaluation and testing in nursing education (7th ed.). Springer Publishing.
Sigma Membership
Kappa
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Faculty Development, Mentoring and Coaching, Transition to Practice or Onboarding, Nursing Faculty, Global Nursing Shortage
Recommended Citation
Loera, Salomé Maria; Dombrowski, Jill J.; Selzer, Cari; and Caulfield, Eileen Veronica, "Lighting the Way: Cultivating the Next Generation of Nursing Faculty Through a Mentorship Program" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 129.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/129
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Lighting the Way: Cultivating the Next Generation of Nursing Faculty Through a Mentorship Program
Seattle, Washington, USA
Nurses are crucial to global healthcare delivery and equity. The International Council of Nurses has recently identified the worldwide nursing shortage as a health emergency (Buchan & Catton, 2023). In the U.S., nursing schools have been forced to reject thousands of qualified applicants due to a shortage of faculty (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2024). Effective mentorship and orientation are essential for ensuring a smooth transition into academic roles, fostering faculty success, and addressing the shortage. The U.S. National League for Nursing (NLN) has recognized mentorship programs as vital for cultivating a supportive work environment, promoting professional growth, and enhancing job satisfaction among nurse faculty (NLN, 2022). This presentation outlines the development, implementation, and outcomes of a nursing faculty mentorship pilot program designed to enhance faculty preparedness and retention.
At a private research university in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region, nursing faculty leaders recognized the need for a standardized mentorship program to improve new faculty orientation and integration. Senior nursing faculty developed the Faculty Mentor Program (FMP), which aims to support new full-time faculty in acclimating to their teaching responsibilities and the academic environment. The program’s objectives include improving faculty retention, easing the transition into academia, and fostering community within the university. The NLN Mentoring Toolkit (NLN, 2022) and other pedagogical resources informed the program’s design, structure, and documentation (Billings & Halstead, 2024; Oermann et al., 2024). New faculty are matched with mentors within 30 days of their appointment. Regular mentor/mentee meetings are encouraged to discuss topics such as evidence-based teaching strategies, assessment methods, professional networking, and role balancing. Program tools consist of structured meeting guides and a mentor-mentee tracking document designed to monitor individual progress, establish targeted goals, and offer a set of curated resources. These tools serve to standardize mentorship interactions and support measurable outcomes in professional development. Outcomes of an FMP pilot, initiated in January 2024, indicate positive feedback and sustained mentor/mentee engagement. Faculty mentorship programs hold promise for developing future nursing educators and leaders, ensuring long-term stability and growth in the profession.
Description
Persistent nurse shortages threaten global health, exacerbated by a lack of nursing faculty. This presentation will explore a nurse faculty mentorship pilot program, highlighting its development, implementation, and outcomes, as a strategy to enhance faculty onboarding, retention, and job satisfaction.