Addressing the associate level nurse faculty shortage: Do job and mentoring satisfaction predict retention?

According to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP, 2020), the United States is facing a significant nurse faculty shortage that impacts the education and supply of registered nurses, worsened by faculty attrition and looming retirements, and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the National League for Nursing (NLN) Deans’ and Directors’ Survey Regarding COVID-19, 178 full-time nursing faculty from NLN member schools resigned or retired early because of COVID-19 (Keaton, 2021). The NACNEP (2020) predicted that 30% of active faculty in 2015 would retire by 2025. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2022) reported this shortage has resulted in 1,985 faculty vacancies in baccalaureate and higher programs in 2020, with a national vacancy rate of 8%. Insufficient faculty was one reason almost half of baccalaureate nursing programs turned away qualified applicants (AACN, 2021). The National League for Nursing (Keaton, 2021) reported associate degree programs turned away 35% and baccalaureate programs turned away 29% of qualified applicants. In addition, master's (12%) and doctorate (23%) programs turned away qualified applicants, impacting the ability to prepare nurses for roles as nurse educators (Keaton, 2021). Approximately 19% of baccalaureate and higher programs reported a need for additional faculty, but no vacancies were listed (Li et al., 2019). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021) projected a need for 16.3 thousand new faculty by 2028, an increase of 22%. The shortage is projected to worsen as a significant percentage of current nurse educators near retirement age (AACN, 2020). The existing faculty shortage is compounded by current educators leaving academia (AACN, 2020).

There are multiple reasons current educators leave academia. One reason is noncompetitive salaries in higher education (AACN, 2020; Li et al., 2019). Previous studies listed salary dissatisfaction as contributing to why many educators are dissatisfied and some leave (Arian et al., 2018; Dalby et al., 2020; Frisbee et al., 2019; Thies & Serrat, 2018; Westphal et al., 2016). Another reason is dissatisfaction with workload (Arian et al., 2018; Li et al., 2019; Singh et al., 2021). Flynn and Ironside (2018) listed work–life imbalance as a source of dissatisfaction and contributing to burnout. Aquino et al. (2018) found that PhD-prepared faculty who reported emotional exhaustion and depersonalization associated with burnout were more likely to leave academia. Ruth-Sahd and Grim (2021) found that, as conditions for work effectiveness improved, compassion satisfaction increased, and burnout and secondary traumatic stress decreased. Lee et al. (2022) found older, PhD-prepared faculty who reported job dissatisfaction were more likely to leave academia. In an integrative review, Wendler et al. (2021) found reduced intent to stay when new faculty were unintentionally unsupported.

Mentoring is a proposed strategy that has been shown to improve novice educator transition and retention (Cole et al., 2020; Dahlke et al., 2021; Foster & Hill, 2019; Gentry & Johnson, 2019; Miner, 2019). In an integrative review, Ransdell et al. (2021) found individual and institutional barriers and facilitators to mentoring and recommended pre-assessing baseline skills and encouraging multiple mentors. Time, workload balance issues, heavy teaching/service loads, and lack of mentors/access to resources were identified as barriers to effective mentoring (Ransdell et al., 2021). Beiranvand et al. (2022) developed a structured mentoring curriculum for part-time clinical instructors and found a significant increase in confidence. Ineffective or absent mentoring was another factor related to dissatisfaction and departure of faculty discussed in multiple studies (Chargualaf et al., 2017; Dahlke et al., 2021; Kolade, 2016; Ortiz et al., 2021; Sodidi & Jardien-Baboo, 2020; Whitfield-Harris et al., 2017). Effective mentoring programs were frequently mentioned as supporting novice educators, while absent or ineffective mentoring programs contributed to challenges novice nurses experienced.

Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory was the theoretical framework for this study. According to the theory, job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are on separate spectrums (Herzberg, 1968). Motivation factors like recognition, responsibility, achievement and the potential for growth and advancement can increase job satisfaction (Herzberg, 1968). However, hygiene factors like salary, workplace policies and conditions, relationships with supervisors and coworkers, and job security can increase job dissatisfaction (Herzberg, 1968). According to the theory, the optimal way to improve job satisfaction and performance is to address motivation factors and to ensure hygiene factors are not blocking satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to determine if job satisfaction levels and mentoring satisfaction levels were related to retention intention (intent-to-remain) and if both levels could predict retention intention among full-time nurse educators teaching in ADN (associate degree nursing) programs.

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