Exploring the state of doctoral education in nursing to develop strategies to increase the number of graduates in faculty roles

The Foundation's initiative, Evaluating Innovations in Nursing Education, was designed to identify, evaluate and disseminate innovative strategies to increase the teaching capacity of nursing schools, as well as to promote the recruitment and retention of nurse faculty, with the long-term goal of educating more students.The third round of this Foundation's initiative was designed to fund research projects studying nursing faculty issues that are critical to achieving the recommendations outlined in the 2010 Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.This study seeks a clearer understanding of stages of decision-making leading to a career in nursing education: decisions of MSN-prepared nurse educators to seek a doctoral degree, factors distinguishing decisions of doctoral students to seek a PhD as compared to a DNP degree, decisions of doctoral students to seek a faculty position, satisfaction of recent doctoral graduates with academic and/or practice roles, and intentions of recent graduates to stay in their current roles. Qualitative interviews will inform surveys of representative samples of 300 masters-prepared nurses in faculty roles, 150 current PhD and DNP students, and 150 recent PhD and DNP graduates. In-depth interviews with a systematic sample of 30 subjects will expand understanding of the survey findings. Findings will be used to develop strategies for increasing doctoral enrollment as well as numbers of graduates who seek and are retained in faculty roles.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $300,000.00

Awarded on: 6/18/2012

Time frame: 7/15/2012 - 7/14/2014

Grant Number: 70181