Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
2-23-2026
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Beatrice Bailey
Abstract
Graduate nursing programs increasingly rely on adjunct faculty to sustain enrollment growth; however, inconsistent onboarding processes may contribute to variability in faculty preparedness and job satisfaction. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a standardized adjunct faculty education program and evaluate its impact on adjunct faculty knowledge and job satisfaction within an online Psychiatric–Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program. A quantitative, quasi-experimental one-group pre–post design was utilized. Six adjunct faculty members (n = 6) completed a 10-item EXXAT Knowledge Survey and a 10-item Faculty Satisfaction Survey before and after participation in a structured one-hour education session focused on workflow expectations, documentation standards, and clinical oversight responsibilities. Internal consistency reliability was strong for both instruments (knowledge α = .97; satisfaction pre α = .89, post α = .91). Because normality assumptions were violated, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were conducted. Knowledge scores improved significantly from pre-intervention (M = 16.50, SD = 5.07) to post-intervention (M = 38.50, SD = 1.38), Z = −2.20, p = .031, with a large effect size (r = .88). Satisfaction scores also improved significantly (Z = −2.21, p = .027, r = .90). Findings indicate that structured adjunct faculty onboarding significantly enhances faculty knowledge and professional satisfaction in fully online graduate nursing programs. Implementation of a standardized education model represents a feasible, sustainable, and low-cost strategy to strengthen faculty preparedness and support program quality.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Brock, Shea, "Addressing Faculty Gaps in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 287.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/287
