Appendix F

Best Practices for Retention of Nursing Faculty in Higher Education June 2002
NACNEP Task Force:
Karen L. Miller, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Chair
Linda Norman, D.S.N., R.N.
Eula Aiken, Ph.D., R.N.

Emanating from April 12, 2002, NACNEP discussions of the Workforce Workgroup, a task force was appointed to summarize "best practices" information for retention of nursing faculty in higher education. Assumptions of the task force were that 1) nursing higher education takes place in a variety of types of academic institutions and 2) that a variety of factors influence capacity to apply best practices in nursing higher education.

The following best practice suggestions are directed at administrative leaders and faculty of nursing academic institutions and are taken from nursing and other scholarly literature, anecdotal experiences as stated by experienced deans and directors, solicited faculty input, research evidence and academic administration guidelines. These suggestions require commitment by nursing leadership and investment by the nursing program, the college or university institution and public and private entities that support the educational endeavor:

1. Working Environments that Support Faculty
   
   1. Develop a culture in the academic organization that
      
      • Encourages scholarship in all missions of the university or college (teaching, research, practice/community service)
      • Recognizes intradisciplinary expertise within the academic milieu
      • Rewards mutual support (faculty-faculty, faculty-students, faculty-administration)
      • Maintains broad discussion of relevant issues in nursing and academic freedom
      • Supports creativity, innovation, and
        continuous improvement efforts
        
   2. Implement long-term career planning for faculty that allows for different career phas es or choices within the organization over time and annually evaluate individual faculty satisfaction with this plan.
      
   3. Provide opportunities for interdisciplinary interaction, teaching, research and clinical practice.
      
   4. Create flexible faculty-working assignments, as appropriate, to accommodate faculty needs for variety and personal development in the missions of the school or university.
      
   5. Develop programs for orientation and mentoring of junior and newly hired faculty, including opportunities for broad college or university-wide collegial support and networking relationships.
      
2. Compensation Package
   
   1. Follow American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Guidelines for salary compen sation of faculty. These guidelines include consideration of experience, appointment, rank, tenure, academic setting and specify compensation percentile and salary ranges.
      
   2. Develop individualized faculty compensation packages when possible, including such assets as: salary, benefits, workspace, equipment, laboratory facilities (as appropriate), travel and scholarship dissemination support, intellectual property agreements, and other assets that support the work of faculty.
      
   3. Establish goals as appropriate for enhancement of faculty salaries over time based on the AACN Guidelines.
      
   4. Implement a system of annual compensation review that incorporates criteria for salary adjust ment based on performance or merit for excellence in teaching, research, and/or practice/service.
      
   5. Implement a system for salary enhancement as reward for achieving promotion and/or tenure.
      
   6. Create opportunities for bonuses, administrative rewards or incentives for special or meritorious performance.
      
   7. Negotiate with leaders of clinical service sites to create jointly funded faculty and practice roles that may help to support and enhance compensation for faculty, particularly in high-demand clinical domains, e.g., critical care, neonatal nursing, nurse practitioner.
      
3. Rewards and Recognition
   
   1. Develop special awards for teaching, clinical practice and/or research accomplishments, including monetary rewards as possible. Some schools recognize award winners at graduation or school-wide events. Awards may be made through selection of outstanding faculty by students, colleagues, dean, school administration or college or university leaders. Some schools fund such faculty awards through private or endowment sources.
      
   2. Showcase the accomplishments of faculty both internally to the school, college or university and externally to the broader local community and alumni and supporters of the school.
      
   3. Provide opportunities through publications, presentations and public comments for recognition of the achievements of faculty.
      
   4. Encourage faculty utilization of school, college or university policies for sabbatical leaves or other academic leaves available to faculty, including helping eligible faculty plan for these reward and development opportunities.
   
   
4. Faculty Support for Further Academic Education
   
   1. Implement special programs to support doctoral education for masters-prepared faculty
      
      • Release time for academic coursework
      • Tuition support
      • Reduced teaching assignments
      • Creative payback arrangements, e.g., 2-3 year commitment to sponsoring institution after degree completion
        
   2. Consider targeted, competitive academic support programs for qualifying faculty
      
      • May be used to meet identified faculty specialty role need, e.g., midwifery, nurse practitioner, nursing administration, nurse anesthetist, emergency preparedness roles
      • May be used to encourage high-demand faculty recruitment, e.g., culturally diverse or male faculty or faculty in specialty areas of clinical practice, to support their doctoral education
      • May be supported through private endowments, restricted funds or individual gifts for this purpose
      • May involve "leaves of absence" or "leave with pay" options
      • May include special payback arrangements, e.g., specified commitment to faculty role at sponsoring institution or teaching while in school requirements
        
   3. Develop "special" faculty advanced educational development programs for new or updated educational methodologies, such as technology- based distance education methods, laboratory and clinical skills simulations and "virtual" classroom techniques.
      
   4. Recruit inexperienced faculty, e.g., clinical, BSN or master's prepared nurse experts, for academic roles through master's, doctoral or special advanced educational support programs.
      
5. Resources to Support the Faculty Role
   
   1. Ensure that faculty and staffs are educated about the various resources available to them to support the missions of the university or college, e.g., facilities, space, supplies, classroom support, maintenance and infrastructure.
      
   2. Provide adequate and clearly specified staff support for faculty endeavors, in keeping with faculty assignments in teaching, research, clinical practice and service.
      
   3. Plan for integration of information systems and educational technologies into the short and long-term budgets of the school, including negotiation with administration.
      
   4. Educate the faculty and staff about the fiscal resources provided to the school for nursing programs and support of the missions of the college or university.
      
6. Maintenance of Faculty Clinical Expertise
   
   1. Utilize clinical partnerships between faculty and clinical nurses established with clinical practice agencies to enhance the clinical practice of faculty.
      
   2. Implement clinical faculty contracts for teaching involving clinical staff nurse experts from clinical practice agencies, including remuneration and/or service exchange agreements.
      
   3. Organize "release-time" options for faculty practice to support clinical teaching assignments and orientation to clinical sites.
      
   4. Implement a direct clinical services faculty practice plan, as appropriate for the school, to enhance the variety of student opportunities for clinical practice sites, to augment faculty clinical expertise and to expand potential revenue sources for the school.
      
   5. Develop internal, institution-based clinical labo ratory experiences for faculty to maintain technical skills and to learn new techniques of clinical practice.
      
   6. Create faculty "re-tooling" programs:
      
      • May include leaves of absence or release-time options for intensive periods of clinical practice, particularly for new teaching assignments or unfamiliar clinical teaching sites;
      • May include changes in teaching assignments based upon demonstrated technical expertise or lack of readiness to teach in certain clinical areas or domains;
      • May include re-tooling requirements as part of faculty evaluation of performance and concomitant compensation plans;
      • May include maintenance of clinical competency standards as part of recruitment and hiring contracts/agreements;
      • Develop on-going relationships with education experts in clinical practice agencies to support both academic and service nursing education needs, including shared contractual models that define resource-sharing options.
7. Professional Development Opportunities for Faculty
   
   1. Budget allocations for specific faculty development programs or professional development opportunities that may arise during the fiscal year.
      
   2. Make funds available to all faculty or establish selected faculty development fund utilization criteria:
      
      • May include creative selection criteria, e.g., development of course content; internal competition; annual delineation of development goals by individuals that qualify for support; faculty committee selection processes; administration-initiated selection; rotation plans that provide equal access to funds.
8. Endowed Chairs or other Special Faculty Positions Supported by Private Funds
   
   1. Establish privately supported faculty positions that encourage and incentivize faculty productivity in a certain mission area, e.g., research domain, educational specialty, practice area.
      
   2. Solicit private gifts or endowments to support long-tem faculty retention strategies.
      
   3. Earmark endowments or private gifts for specific faculty teaching, research or practice awards and find ways for public recognition of these achievements, e.g., acknowledgement at com mencement, faculty assemblies, college or university-wide meetings.
      
   4. Engage "Advisory Boards" or "Boards of Directors or Trustees" of the school, college or university in support of faculty retention plans:
      
      • May include donor outreach and cultivation of financial support for specific retention strategies and faculty rewards;
      • May include solicitation by Board members of business community or private foundation support;
      • May include networking and outreach by Board members to legislators and political supporters for specific faculty retention strategies and compensation aims.
        
   5. Pursue community linkages that may strengthen the resources available for faculty support and development, as well as education of nurses, e.g. partnerships with businesses, not-for-profit organizations, public health agencies and schools.
      

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