Faculty Orientation: A Good Start
Kimberly Brownie, MSN, RN and Tamarah Pearson, MSN, RN, CEN
Introduction
Good Start is the Bon Secours Memorial
College of Nursing (BSMCON) program to
onboard new faculty.
While attending 2016 NLN New Faculty
Intensive Workshop just prior to starting on-
site, we discovered that many colleges and
universities do not have formal faculty
onboarding programs. Anecdotal
conversations with these faculty identified that
our opportunity to attend the workshop and
be included in a year-long orientation process
was a unique experience in the academic
world.
As new faculty we were included in the first
formal Good Start program for Bon Secours
Memorial College of Nursing. We experienced
first-hand the importance of building
relationships among new faculty and staff and
having easy access to resources while learning
the faculty role.
Materials and Methods
Good Start faculty participate in monthly
group meetings focused on the National
League for Nursing Core Competencies of
Nurse Educators. These meetings provide a
nurturing environment to build rapport,
develop skills, and have fun. Each new faculty
member reviewed and presented one of the
core competencies over the course of the
academic year to the Good Start group.
Individually, each faculty member has a
support team that consists of:
• Their direct supervisor
• Faculty Navigator
• Course Mentors
This network allowed for consistent
discussions related to successes and
challenges faced by the faculty members.
Faculty and staff at large were surveyed upon
completion of the 2016-2017 Good Start
program.
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
Results
Conclusion
Each Good Start faculty member from the 2016-2017 New Faculty Retention Good Start supports new faculty during their
academic year successfully delivered their assigned
transition into their role, offers multiple safe
courses, participated in college and nursing faculty
share governance, acclimated to the academic
7
places for asking questions and seeking
environment, and has remained on staff with Bon 83% guidance, and improves faculty retention and
Secours Memorial College of Nursing. 6 satisfaction. The Good Start program is
60% currently being tweaked to provide this
Not only have the Good Start faculty completed their additional support with the next
5
first year in teaching, they are actively engaged in implementation of the program.
leadership roles within the institution. For example:
• New course development 4
Number of
• Shared governance committee officers It takes a village to mentor a new faculty
67% New Faculty
• Significant existing course modifications member.
3
• Nominated for the Faculty Daisy Award
• Served as Course Mentors Number of
New Faculty
• Applied for promotion in rank 2
Retained
• Practicum course leads
• Global Outreach team leaders
1
Survey Results
0
2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18
Good Start Program Contributes to the
Success of the Nursing Program
Neutral The retention rate with the Good Start program is
6% Successful 100% compared to 60-83% in prior years. However,
18% surveys of the faculty identified improvements for References
the next session:
Very Neutral
• Continue Good Start into a second academic year 1. Billings, D., Halstead, J. (2016). Teaching in nursing: A
Successful Successful
76% on a modified schedule guide for faculty (5th ed.), St. Louis, MO: Elsevier
Very Successful
• Provide a Faculty Navigator that is separate from 2. Kanuka, H. (n.d.) Does mentoring new faculty make a
difference? Retrieved from http://commons.ucalgary.ca
the Course Mentors
• Focus primarily on aspects of teaching during the
17 responses received from faculty and staff first year, development of other areas later
(62% response rate)
• “Provides new faculty with resources, contacts,
Acknowledgements
and enables new faculty to feel prepared and be
successful”. • Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
• “It helps orient new faculty members to the • Dr. Chris-Tenna Perkins, PhD, RN, ANP, CNE
culture, policies, and procedures of the College • Laura Vasel, MSN, RN, CPNP
while making them feel part of a community”. • Julie Marsh, MEd
• “It submerges new faculty with support and • Good Start Faculty Navigators and Course
insight to all questions. It gives new faculty Mentors
direction and answers questions before they are
asked”.