Exploring Perceptions of the Transition From Health Science Practitioner to Academic

Transitioning from a clinical practitioner to an educator in the health sciences is a difficult task for many professionals. Although, clinically, these individuals have achieved a level of expertise, they are not necessarily trained to teach in a classroom setting and may find it difficult to transition into their role as novice. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine faculty members\u27 preparedness during their transition to academia and their perceptions of the need for more support during the first 5 years of teaching. Vygotsky\u27s and Dewey\u27s theories of social constructivism and Knowles\u27s assumptions of adult learning provided the framework for this research. The main research question focused on exploring perceptions about instructional preparedness and support for university educators, at a university in Detroit, Michigan, in health science fields. The data sources were interviews and observations from 9 health science faculty members. Interviews were coded based on perceptive categories such as experiences, knowledge, and opinions, whereas observations were coded using recurrent patterns of identified standards of university teaching based on teaching preparedness. Results showed 5 areas where the participants felt they needed more support: peer mentoring, administration support, institutional support, interaction with students, and instructional methodology technology training. Findings may provide insight to university administrators on strategies to provide more effective professional development to health science educators. Potential implications for positive social change include increased job satisfaction and retention for professionals who become health science educators