THE TRANSITION FROM A MASTER OF NURSING GRADUATE TO THE ROLE OF NOVICE NURSING FACULTY MEMBER: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative inquiry (NI) study was to elicit and explore the stories and personal narratives of recent Master of Nursing (MN) graduates transitioning to the role of nursing faculty member. The aim was to understand the experience of their transition and the value of MN education on this transition. While there are numerous studies and articles discussing nurses transitioning to academia there was limited research found on MN graduates transitioning directly into the nursing faculty role after completion of their MN degree and the influence or perceived value of MN education during this transition. This study addressed the research problem of the lack of knowledge and published literature on the experience of MN graduates transitioning to the role of nursing faculty member and the value of MN education on that transition. Three participants were interviewed as narrative research is best used for capturing the detailed stories or life experiences of a single life or lives of a small number of individuals (Creswell, 2007, 2013; Green, 2013). Benner, Tanner, and Chesla’s (2009) novice to expert nursing transition model was used in this research study to support the journey from MN graduate to the role of nursing faculty member. Through analysis I came to the realization that accurately constructing the participant’s narratives required developing a new model using the common themes that emerged from within the participant’s narratives that is supported by the work of Benner et al. When common themes were compared between participants four distinct themes became apparent. The four distinct themes represent the process of transitioning into the novice nursing faculty role following the completion of a MN degree. They include: (1) Being a Novice, (2) Growing from Mentorship and Support, (3) Building on Previous Experience, and (4) Benefiting from Master of Nursing Education. Three of the themes, Being a Novice, Growing from Mentorship and Support, and Building on Previous Experience, are supported by the work of Benner et al. when transitioning through Benner et al.’s first three stages: novice, advanced beginner, and competent. The fourth theme that arose is Benefiting from Master of Nursing Education. It was discovered through analysis of the stories that MN education aided the transition to more expert practice in the nursing faculty role. Data analysis included interpreting the stories and the themes that emerged from them and resulted in restorying the narratives (Chase, 2005; Creswell, 2013). This new model and an NI approach allowed me to explore the experience of transitioning to the role of a novice nursing faculty member and the perceived value of their MN education through the narratives participants choose to tell and share. Using NI to explore this transition provided a unique lens for my inquiry to address the lack of published knowledge on the subject.