Quality Improvement Project New and Novice Nurse Faculty: Orientation Bootcamp

Degree Name

Nursing Practice, DNP

Publication Date

4-18-2025

First Advisor

Mary Newkirk

Second Advisor

Brittany Marshall

Abstract

The ongoing shortage of nurse educators across the United States has led to a critical need among nursing programs, particularly in rural areas. A quality improvement project was developed in response to literature regarding the need for new and novice nurse educator orientation programs and limited structured onboarding at the implementation site. The quality improvement project implemented an orientation boot camp for new and novice nurse educators. Guided by Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory (Benner, 2023) and Lippitt’s Phases of Change Theory (Barrow, 2022), the project aimed to enhance faculty preparedness through educational support related to seventeen key nursing education topics, ultimately increasing faculty retention. The boot camp was delivered asynchronously through the Canvas learning management system and included eleven modules focused on seventeen essential nursing education competencies. Participants’ knowledge was assessed using a pre- and post-intervention survey based on a five-point Likert scale. Although statistical significance was not achieved (p = .092), the project demonstrated a clinically meaningful increase in knowledge, supported by a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.15). Faculty engagement increased mean scores, and favorable Canvas access data suggested that the orientation boot camp contributed to participants’ professional development and confidence. The project highlights the importance of structured, evidence-based onboarding for nurse educators and supports integrating flexible, sustainable orientation models in academic settings. Findings suggest that expanding implementation to include mentorship may further improve outcomes and serve as a replicable model for nursing programs nationwide.

Rights Management

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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