Academia, as we know it, has existed for hundreds of years (Clark, 1983; Reiss, 2016). Achieving tenure has been the gold standard for faculty achievement. Further, the foundation of faculty citizenship and voice in modern academia has primarily been via the tenure track (TT). Non-tenure tracks (NTT) are relatively new within the past four decades but are important for the future of higher education (Cole & March, 2018; Lee et al., 2007). Non-tenure tracks include clinical tracks (CT), research tracks, teaching tracks, and adjunct or part-time teaching roles, but this article focuses on CTs. Nationally, there has been significant growth in the number of CT faculty teaching in universities across disciplines (Jones et al., 2017). Historically, TT faculty used to be in the majority, constituting about 75 % of overall faculty 40 years ago, while more recently, that has dropped to about 24 % (AAUP, 2023). However, the numbers of NTT faculty continue to rise and now account for the majority, with approximately 68 %, of overall faculty across disciplines (Jones et al., 2017; AAUP, 2023).

Clinical tracks, pathways for advancement for practice-focused faculty, are particularly important for schools educating future healthcare professionals, including nursing schools, as they facilitate the application of theory in clinical practice (August et al., 2022; Cole & March, 2018; Lee et al., 2007). There are still nursing schools without a formal CT or equivalent for faculty advancement (Clark et al., 2020; Stubaus, 2015) and those with one continue to evolve (Stubaus, 2015). Offering a formal CT for clinical faculty with clear guidelines for promotion, greater job security, and greater institutional and department support has been linked with better student and program outcomes, faculty performance, and faculty scholarly productivity (Drake et al., 2019; Lee et al., 2007). It is important for universities to recognize the value of these unique faculty roles, provide a clear path to promotion with job security, invest in clinical faculty, and include clinical faculty as full citizens with equal rights and voice.

In this article, we outline the history, progression, and future directions of a CT at a research-intensive school of nursing. We describe our process for developing and evolving the CT, the benefits of doing so, and continued areas for growth and consideration. Nursing schools could benefit from creating and evolving formal pathways for CT faculty advancement in an equitable and inclusive way that support the unique contributions of these faculty.