The Experiences of Registered Nurses Transitioning from Patient Care Settings to Academia

Registered nurses (RNs) who make the move from a patient-care service setting to an academic teaching environment often go through a transition phase in their first semesters of teaching that is difficult and traumatic. RNs that go on to higher academic degrees often do so in order to teach in schools of nursing. However, graduate work in nursing does not routinely prepare the RN on the basic concepts of teaching adults. The purpose of this qualitative study is to (a) explore the experience of transitioning from service settings to academia for RNs who have 5 years or less of academic teaching experience and (b) propose a project to assist in this transition. The study used transition theory as its theoretical framework. Two guiding questions explored the experience of expert RNs moving from the service of patients to an academic setting and the preparation needed to support this transition. Data analysis was conducted using coding methods, member checking, and cross-referencing to pre-existing data sources from the university. Semi structured face-to-face interviews of 17 eligible faculty were coded for common words and themes. The themes were cross tabulated to 5 years of historical university data in order to build a chain of support for developing evidence. The results of the study interviews revealed four themes: unprepared for the academic setting, a general lack of support from the university, an overall feeling of accomplishment, and a requests for a mentoring program based on level of need. The findings from the interviews guided the project development of a formal mentoring program that supports professionals, who are expert in their field, to transition successfully into academics. Implications for positive social change include increased faculty satisfaction and retention. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]