From Clinician to Educator: Supporting Faculty Onboarding with NLN Competencies
Presenter(s)
Chrissy Feine, MSN, MBA, PHN, RN
Abstract
Background: Nursing programs face persistent challenges in meeting the demand for qualified faculty, frequently recruiting experienced clinical nurses into academic roles. This transition requires a substantial shift from bedside care to responsibilities such as curriculum development, research, and student mentorship. Many novice nursing faculty members enter academia with a limited understanding of academic role expectations, which contributes to increased stress, role ambiguity, and job dissatisfaction. While structured orientation is standard practice for nurses entering new clinical environments, comparable onboarding processes for novice nursing faculty are often inconsistent or absent. The lack of formalized orientation and support systems may hinder professional development and faculty retention. Methods: This quality improvement project implemented a structured onboarding program to enhance novice nursing faculty members’ perceptions of support, preparedness, and confidence, guided by the National League for Nursing’s (NLN) Novice Academic Nurse Educator Competencies. Onboarding content was derived from a focused literature review and mapped to selected NLN competency task statements aligned with the project scope. To promote early engagement and demonstrate organizational commitment, preboarding communication and resources were initiated in July and continued until the start date. The onboarding program integrated institutional orientation with nine structured onboarding sessions, each approximately 90 minutes in length, delivered over a 12-week fall semester. Program effectiveness was evaluated using pre- and post-session surveys that measured participants’ perceived support, preparedness, and confidence during the onboarding experience. Results/Conclusion: Participants were primarily early-career faculty or those new to the institution. Most had only university-level orientation; few had mentors or department-specific onboarding. Participation started strong but declined as semester demands increased. Pre- and post-session surveys showed improved preparedness, confidence, and perceived support. Final survey results indicated 100% agreement that participants felt supported, confident, and more knowledgeable. The outcomes of this project underscore the critical role of structured onboarding in facilitating the transition from expert clinician to novice nurse educator. The project recommends aligning institutional onboarding practices with national standards to ensure faculty are adequately prepared.
College
College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Department
Nursing
Campus
Winona
Location
Kryzsko, Minnesota Rooms 223-224, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Start Date
4-23-2026 11:40 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 11:59 AM
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
From Clinician to Educator: Supporting Faculty Onboarding with NLN Competencies
Kryzsko, Minnesota Rooms 223-224, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Background: Nursing programs face persistent challenges in meeting the demand for qualified faculty, frequently recruiting experienced clinical nurses into academic roles. This transition requires a substantial shift from bedside care to responsibilities such as curriculum development, research, and student mentorship. Many novice nursing faculty members enter academia with a limited understanding of academic role expectations, which contributes to increased stress, role ambiguity, and job dissatisfaction. While structured orientation is standard practice for nurses entering new clinical environments, comparable onboarding processes for novice nursing faculty are often inconsistent or absent. The lack of formalized orientation and support systems may hinder professional development and faculty retention. Methods: This quality improvement project implemented a structured onboarding program to enhance novice nursing faculty members’ perceptions of support, preparedness, and confidence, guided by the National League for Nursing’s (NLN) Novice Academic Nurse Educator Competencies. Onboarding content was derived from a focused literature review and mapped to selected NLN competency task statements aligned with the project scope. To promote early engagement and demonstrate organizational commitment, preboarding communication and resources were initiated in July and continued until the start date. The onboarding program integrated institutional orientation with nine structured onboarding sessions, each approximately 90 minutes in length, delivered over a 12-week fall semester. Program effectiveness was evaluated using pre- and post-session surveys that measured participants’ perceived support, preparedness, and confidence during the onboarding experience. Results/Conclusion: Participants were primarily early-career faculty or those new to the institution. Most had only university-level orientation; few had mentors or department-specific onboarding. Participation started strong but declined as semester demands increased. Pre- and post-session surveys showed improved preparedness, confidence, and perceived support. Final survey results indicated 100% agreement that participants felt supported, confident, and more knowledgeable. The outcomes of this project underscore the critical role of structured onboarding in facilitating the transition from expert clinician to novice nurse educator. The project recommends aligning institutional onboarding practices with national standards to ensure faculty are adequately prepared.
