Abstract
Background: Part-time clinical nurse educators who simultaneously work in both a clinical and an academic setting experience a unique work-role transition. Identifying and addressing their needs during this time may assist in new faculty retention.
Purpose: As part of a larger study examining the work-role transition of part-time clinical nurse faculty, a specific research question was developed to determine how these individuals experience the phases of the Nurse Educator Transition (NET) model.
Methods: This qualitative phenomenological study used both purposive and snowball sampling to recruit 14 RNs who were part-time clinical educators.
Results: Study findings validated all 4 phases of the NET model. In addition, several participants indicated a sense of returning to the first 2 phases of transition at the beginning of new semesters and courses.
Conclusion: The NET model is applicable to the part-time clinical nurse educator population. This theory can be used as a framework to design orientation and mentorship programs that specifically target part-time clinical nurse educators.