Implementing an evidence-informed faculty development program

Objective

To establish an evidence-informed faculty development program.

Design

Survey derived from a needs-assessment tool.

Setting

Department of Academic Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, which is geographically dispersed across the province.

Participants

Full-time faculty members in the Department of Academic Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

Main outcome measures

Creation of an evidence-informed faculty development program.

Results

The response rate was 77.3% (17 of 22). The data were stratified by 2 groups: faculty members with less than 5 years of experience and those with 5 or more years of experience. Those with less than 5 years of experience rated the following as their top priorities: teaching, developing scholarly activities, and career development. Those with 5 or more years of experience rated the following as their top priorities: administration and leadership, teaching, and information technology. Although there were differences in overall priorities, the 2 groups identified 17 out of 54 skills as important to faculty development.

Conclusion

The results of the needs-assessment tool were used to shape a dynamic, evidence-informed faculty development program with full-time faculty in the Department of Academic Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Future programs will continue to be dynamic, faculty-centred, and evidence-informed.     

Implementing faculty practice: a question of human and financial resources

Two issues confronting nursing education are: improving the relationship between nursing service and nursing education, and achieving status as an academic discipline. The concept of faculty practice addresses both of these problems. By definition faculty practice requires demonstration of clinical competence through practice, and scholarly outcomes of practice which satisfy the research requirement of the nursing faculty role. While scholarly practice by nursing faculty members may benefit the nursing service-education relationship, it is a myth that nursing faculty members were more effective teachers prior to nursing education's move into institutions of higher education. While few argue against the need for clinical competence of nursing faculty members for effective teaching, the need to attain educational preparation for effective teaching must not be overlooked. The vast majority of nursing faculty members hold master's degree as their highest earned credential. To establish itself as an equal in academe and to increase teaching effectiveness, nursing education needs faculty prepared at the doctoral level. If nursing faculty members add faculty practice and doctoral study to the standard faculty role requirements of teaching, research and service, chronic overload will result. Nursing faculty members cannot solve all the problems confronting nursing education by continuously increasing their workload. Nursing programmes need to assess their resources and priorities. For all of its merits, faculty practice should not be implemented until a programme has adequate resources to support it.     

Nursing faculty practice: an organizational perspective.

After reviewing the faculty practice literature of the 1980s and finding philosophical support for practice but also growing concerns about faculty role overload, the authors report a study to identify organizational factors that influence the role expectations of faculty members about practice. A survey was sent to the deans or directors of all National League for Nursing--accredited baccalaureate nursing programs (n = 462). Of the 356 respondents (78 per cent), 224 (63.3 per cent) reported that their school had practicing faculty, but only 20 schools (8.8 per cent) required practice. Written faculty practice plans were reported by 23 schools (10.2 per cent), and nursing centers by 41 schools. Thirty-six respondents (16 per cent) reported that practicing faculty generated revenue for the school. Practice was required for promotion in 15.8 per cent and for tenure in 15.3 per cent of all schools surveyed. The study showed significant direct relationships between master's and doctoral programs and practicing faculty, but there was an inverse relationship between the presence of a health science center and schools with practicing faculty. Organizational factors relating to both the number and per cent of faculty who practiced included requiring practice, having a practice plan, and having practice as a criterion for promotion and for tenure. Revenue generation and presence of formalized practice arrangements were related to the number of faculty who practiced but not the per cent of the total faculty who practiced. The study's findings have implications for nursing education in designing organizational structures and rewards that support faculty practice.     

Implementing a new faculty workload formula

The severe shortage of nursing faculty in recent years has led to changes in faculty mix, with nursing programs relying on increased numbers of faculty members prepared at the master's level for coverage of nursing courses. To address the impact of these changes on faculty workload, one nursing program established a Workload Task Force to develop a workload formula that would recognize teaching, scholarship, and service contributions of all faculty members and help ensure equity in workload assignments. Details of the workload formula are offered, along with recommendations for gaining the support of faculty and ensuring transparency in implementation.     

Optimization of faculty practice

Nursing faculty practice encompasses multiple roles including direct and indirect provision of nursing/clinical services, research, education, consultation, administration, and other collaborative agreements. While faculty practice is encouraged by both American Association of Colleges of Nursing and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, not all universities and colleges incorporate faculty practice as part of academia. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how one midwestern University optimized faculty practice over a four-year period by improving supporting infrastructure, contracts, aligning faculty and practice partners, and accountability. Pertinent data, decisions, and processes for each area are described here as well as the management of revenue generated.     

Implementing evidence-based practice during an economic downturn

: Building a sustainable evidence-based practice (EBP) infrastructure during times of financial constraints poses challenges for nurse leaders. To be successful, plans need to be creative and adaptive, while mindful of limited resources. This commentary describes change management strategies used to implement an EBP infrastructure at a hospital after organizational restructuring occurred.     

Strategies for faculty practice

Nursing faculty who prepare students for advanced roles in primary care are faced with maintaining their own clinical knowledge and skills at a time when doctoral preparation, research and scholarship are receiving emphasis. This article describes some successful faculty experiences in increasing clinical knowledge and practice while integrating clinical practice into the faculty role.     

Education-practice partnerships: faculty practice as faculty development.

The importance of establishing service-education partnerships in nursing is well recognized. Many such associations will include provisions for faculty practice, ideally occurring within the context of a comprehensive program that advances clearly stated goals put forth by all participants. We describe the continuing clinical education component of faculty practice, and discuss its place within a hypothetical, broader program. Faculty practice is conceptualized as one aspect of ongoing faculty development.     

Implementing evidence-based practice

Traditional methods of disseminating research findings through publication has had only a limited impact on clinical practice. Issues of time and professional territorialism may be barriers to change. More active interventions are needed to ensure that findings are implemented.     

Implementing reflective practice

Although nurses understand the need to reflect on their practice, reflection does not occur simply as a result of knowing about it. The author of this literature review seeks to clarify 'reflection' and suggests ways to implement reflective practice.