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. 2023 Sep-Oct;48(5):240-246.
doi: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001409. Epub 2023 Apr 4.

External Scholarship Mentors for DNP-Prepared Faculty: A Practice-Oriented Exemplar

Jayne Jennings Dunlap  1 , Tracy L Brewer, Rosalie O Mainous
Affiliations

External Scholarship Mentors for DNP-Prepared Faculty: A Practice-Oriented Exemplar

Jayne Jennings Dunlap et al. Nurse Educ. 2023 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Background: Variability surrounding what practice scholarship should entail and how to incorporate into academic life exists among DNP-prepared faculty teaching across nursing programs.

Problem: DNP-prepared faculty entering an academic role are expected to maintain a clinical practice, teach/advise students, and fulfill service obligations, often leaving minimal time to build a program of scholarship.

Approach: Building upon the archetype of external mentors for PhD researchers, we introduce a new model for external mentorship for DNP-prepared faculty to facilitate scholarship.

Outcomes: In the first dyad to use this model, the mentor-mentee met/exceeded all contractual goals, including presentations, manuscripts, leadership behaviors, and role navigation within higher education. More external dyads are currently in development.

Conclusions: Securing an external, seasoned mentor as a match for a junior member of the faculty in a yearlong partnership demonstrates promise for positive change in the scholarship trajectory of DNP-prepared faculty in higher education.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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