Advancing a Program of Research Within a Nursing Faculty Role

Doctoral students and new faculty members often seek advice from more senior faculty on how to advance their program of research. Students may ask whether they should choose the manuscript option for their dissertation or whether they should seek a postdoctoral fellowship. New faculty members wonder whether they should pursue a career development award and whether they need a mentor as they strive to advance their research while carrying out teaching, service, and practice responsibilities. In this article, we describe literature on the impact of selected aspects of pre- and postdoctoral training and faculty strategies on scholarly productivity in the faculty role. We also combine our experiences at a school of nursing within a research-intensive university to suggest strategies for success. Noting the scarcity of research that evaluates the effect of these strategies, we are actively engaged in collecting data on their relationship to the scholarly productivity of students and faculty members within our own institution.