Transitioning from clinical practice to academia: A qualitative study of benefits and barriers

The nursing faculty shortage has impacted the ability of nursing programs to enroll, educate, and graduate the number of students who are interested in careers in the profession of nursing. The educational institutions are expected to maintain a certain enrollment or even increase enrollment in order to meet the demands of the healthcare delivery system in the area of nursing. The ability to meet these demands will be difficult with the nursing faculty shortage. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate the benefits or barriers that nurses encountered when transitioning into roles in academia from roles of clinical practice in the patient care setting. Three educational institutions participated in the research study, with 10 participants volunteering for the interview process. The semi-formal interviews were conducted to obtain information regarding influential factors when choosing a career in nursing, motivating factors when choosing a career in nursing education, benefits and barriers in the transition process, and similarities and differences noted between the nursing roles in clinical practice and academia. The transition processes from a role in clinical practice into the role in academia were described by the participants. The results of the interviews were categorized into three themes that focused on motivating/influential factors, benefits, and barriers. Findings of the study could be used in the development of a recruitment tool that focuses on the benefits of a nursing role in academia