Addressing the nurse educator shortage: transitioning bedside nurses to clinical faculty by demystifying roles and responsibilities

Abstract

There is a shortage of nurse educators in the United States; barriers exist to nurses taking on teaching roles, including a lack of confidence and familiarity with the role. This project was part of an academic-practice partnership between a large health system and a university in Illinois. Building on collaboration between the health system and university and after consulting the teaching-learning literature, a 3.5-hour educational course was developed with the intent of increasing bedside nurses' knowledge of, and confidence related to, the clinical faculty teaching role. These sessions were delivered in June 2023, October 2023, and March 2024, and 27 nurses participated. The course was well-received, and the participants reported that the educational content addressed misconceptions and inspired them to further explore clinical teaching roles. In this article, we describe the design and implementation of this course, including the collaborative approach that existed between the health system and university. We also provide lessons learned and resources for others to consider when developing and implementing similar sessions.