The Perceived Needs of Nurse Clinicians as They Move Into an Adjunct Clinical Faculty Role

The ability to respond to the increasing need for nurses is directly related to the availability of adequate numbers of faculty. One solution that is currently being utilized by many educational institutions is the employment of adjunct clinical faculty. As more and more adjunct clinical faculty are being used to educate nursing students, the manner in which these clinicians are being prepared for an educator role must be examined. Subsequently, the purpose of this study was to determine how adjunct clinical faculty describe their role and the needs they have related to actualizing that role. Naturalistic inquiry methodology was chosen for this study. Twenty-one adjunct clinical faculty were interviewed. Based on the participants' narratives, adjunct clinical faculty is defined as a registered nurse who is a clinical expert and employed part time by an educational institution to coach students in the clinical setting, helping them apply theory to clinical situations. Four themes emerged from an analysis of the data: orientation, role, support, and connection. Participant perspectives revealed that their transition from a nurse clinician into the role of adjunct clinical faculty is one that should be intentionally guided and supported by a mentor, with a focus on the acquisition of educational skills needed for that role.