Faculty orientation: muttering or mentoring?

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Since 1996, the Department of Nursing at North Georgia College and State University (NGCSU) has grown from an ASN program on two campuses to one provided on four campuses and housing 250 ASN students. Two of the sites for the ASN program are partially funded by major health systems distant from the main campus, and faculty are housed on those distant campuses full time. We have had the valuable opportunity to hire many dynamic nursing experts to serve as full-time and part-time faculty within the department.

Although we have been fortunate to attract qualified nurses to serve as faculty for the ASN program, many of them came to us without any formal academic teaching experience. Along with this good fortune, comes the accountability to foster educational excellence among new faculty and knowledge of the culture of nursing education as well as that of the university at large. In addition, the distance satellite campuses exist from the main campus and necessitate a more concerted effort to ensure that all faculty are properly oriented in the “mechanics” of an academic position and are fully supported in their role of faculty in a nursing program. Since 2000 NGCSU Department of Nursing has expanded its faculty workforce from 15–30, both full time and part time. In the fall of 2003, the department initiated a comprehensive faculty orientation/mentoring program, including a manual and activities specifically designed to enhance the work experiences of new faculty. The purpose of this presentation will outline the process whereby the Department of Nursing at NGCSU developed the mentoring program and its successes this academic year. The challenges encountered throughout the process will also be discussed, along with examples of the documents discussed. The process was developed to ease faculty into that role without muttering along the way!