Pursuing the Clinical Track Faculty Role: From Clinical Expert to Educator

摘要

Within the health care profession, expectations for nurses continue to grow and advanced practice nurses increasingly need doctorate degrees. With this growth in expectations, more advanced practice doctoral programs are being developed so nurses can achieve their goals. There has been growth in both research-focused (PhD) and practice-focused (DNP) doctoral nursing programs. However, as of 2014, enrollment in PhD nursing programs had increased over the previous year's by only 3.2% compared to a 26% increase in DNP programs: 276 nursing schools offer the DNP to more than 18 000 students. As a result, a larger proportion of nursing faculty have clinical doctorate degrees (DNP) rather than traditional research doctorates (PhD, DNSc). Because of more DNP students and the desire to merge clinical and academic skills, schools of nursing need appropriately prepared educators, with many nurses choosing to become clinical track faculty (CTF) members.2 In the United States, schools of nursing have used the CTF role for many years. Typically, CTFs are clinicians with specific areas of expertise who hold advanced practice positions in nursing (eg, nurse practitioners [NPs] or clinical nurse specialists), maintain clinical appointments, and participate in academia. This blended faculty role is effective because, as practitioners at the forefront of care delivery, CTFs understand clinical work and are able to provide mentorship and career advice to nursing students. A successful CTF is a combination of clinician, educator, and scholar who incorporates service activities into the role.