Mentoring Experiences of New Nontenured Faculty in Undergraduate Nursing: A Qualitative Study

Background: Mentoring is crucial for professional development and retention of newly hired nurse faculty, yet little is known about the actual mentoring experiences of clinical nurses in their first few years following transition into academic teaching. Method: Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 full-time nontenure-track faculty from 10 higher education institutions in seven states in the United States. All of the faculty were in the first 3 years of teaching in 4-year undergraduate nursing programs. Results: Five themes emerged: (1) chaotic work environments characterized by unpredictable workloads, absence of reliable support, and inconsistent access to information; (2) a de facto do-it-yourself system in which nurses pieced together their own support; (3) reliance on personal social networks; (4) yearning for real mentorship; and (5) future plans about staying in the role. Conclusion: A gap exists between widely touted recommendations about mentoring and the reality of mentoring for newly hired nontenure-track faculty.