A Delphi Study to Understand Clinical Nursing Faculty Preparation and Support Needs

BACKGROUND: Nursing programs are challenged with staffing qualified clinical faculty. Many hires, part time and full time, lack formal preparation or experience in leading student clinical groups. To have prepared clinical faculty, it is important to understand their learning preparation and support needs. METHOD: A two-round Delphi study was conducted to explore the preparation and support needs of undergraduate clinical faculty across nursing programs in a midwestern state. RESULTS: Clinical faculty indicated several areas for development, including clear expectations of the role, better communication, training and orientation, and support. A better understanding of roles and expectations was demonstrated by clinical nursing faculty who were full time and those with nursing degrees that included nurse education coursework. CONCLUSION: Strategies for clinical faculty preparation and support include clarifying expectations, providing orientation, and communicating consistently and frequently. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(10):583-590.].