"Staying Connected" Increases Scholarly Productivity

Abstract

Session presented on: Sunday, November 17, 2013: A major concern in nursing and higher education is for faculty to continue their scholarly work. This is important from two perspectives: 1) The dissemination of knowledge and research findings to the profession and other clinical disciplines, and 2) for new graduates who are in academic roles to demonstrate their scholarly productivity for tenure and promotion. Often, on completion of the PhD or terminal degree, individuals either enter or return to faculty positions. With the many demands on faculty for the teaching role, along with the movement away from peer support that may have been helpful in their graduate studies, scholarship activities get put on the back shelf. This symposium will provide accounts of a group of nurses who graduated from the same PhD program and are now teaching at different universities. Continuing some of their original connections in graduate school has been a supportive approach which has yielded a number of presentations and publications for each individual. This example has implications for graduate program as well as for individual students to keep their connections. The importance of connections and collaboration also has implications for academic settings. The lessons learned from these experiences may enable academic institutions to better create a community of scholars and ultimately enhance the scholarship of the nursing profession.