Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
8-11-2025
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Veronica Arredondo
Abstract
The increasing issue of untrained faculty stepping into teaching roles poses a challenge in nursing education. This shift often causes stress and a period of disorientation. One evidence-based solution to enhance role clarity involves mentorship, which is defined as a professional relationship whereby a more experienced faculty member aids in the growth of a novice. The purpose of this project was to help novice nursing faculty by offering them structured, consistent mentorship as they moved into academia. The goal was to increase job satisfaction by clarifying roles, building a sense of support, and ultimately helping to retain faculty. The intervention involved a 5-week mentorship experience, where novice faculty were paired with experienced mentors. They took part in guided discussions each week, focusing on pre-selected topics related to role expectations, time management, and institutional resources. Pre- and post-intervention data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, which revealed statistically significant improvements in all domains: role expectations (Z = -2.214, p = .027), institutional support (Z = -2.449, p = .014), anticipated job satisfaction (Z = -2.220, p = .026), and belief in mentorship effectiveness (Z = -2.220, p = .026). These results indicate that the mentorship program had a consistent, positive impact. The increase in job satisfaction following this mentorship intervention has suggested that there is a strong impact from mentorship in achieving positive outcomes. The data also suggested structured mentorship can enhance job satisfaction leading to long-term faculty retention and offering a scalable strategy to support novice educators and strengthen academic nursing programs.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Pearson, Nikki R., "Quality Improvement Project Structured Faculty Mentorship Program: A Quality Improvement Project" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 138.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/138
