Joining the academic community: The lived experiences of new teachers in nursing education

Abstract

<p>Contemporary academic communities in nursing are experiencing an increasing number of new teachers, particularly those who teach part-time, at the same time that they are experiencing a growing shortage of faculty members prepared at the doctoral level. The presence of large numbers of new teachers in the face of a shortage of experienced teachers underscores the necessity of graduate preparation for teaching in nursing. However, increasingly, the pool of new teachers in nursing is comprised of nurses academically prepared for advanced nursing practice or research, not teaching. This preparation is important but is not sufficient for teaching in contemporary academic communities. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of contemporary new teachers in nursing education to illuminate their common practices and shared meanings and to uncover new possibilities for preparing for the practice of teaching in nursing education. Participants recruited from across the United States included 17 new teachers. Data I collected from extended, non-structured interviews were analyzed hermeneutically using the interpretive phenomenology of Heidegger as the philosophical background. With the assistance of a research team, I analyzed data to identify themes emerging from across interview texts and a pattern expressing the relationship among themes. A pattern arising from this analysis, Joining: Relating with Colleagues and Students in the Academic Community, describes how new teachers learn how to relate with colleagues and students in ways that help (or hinder) entering and becoming a part of the academic community. Two themes: Mentoring and Learning the Skills of Involvement elucidate the pattern Joining. This study reveals new understandings of mentoring as a community experience of caring for new members and of involvement as how power and empowerment are experienced in relationships with students. Identifying the experiences that matter to new teachers in nursing, this study offers practical knowledge to new teachers and to experienced teachers who work with new teachers and who prepare future teachers. As well, this study illuminates ways of transforming teacher preparation in nursing education.</p>