A phenomenological study of the lived experience of clinicians transitioning into academic roles in Australian universities

Abstract

Background Nurse academics occupy a pivotal role in educating the nursing workforce of the future. However, preparation of registered nurses for an intense academic workload requiring diverse skills, attracts limited literature from an Australian context. Aim This paper employs phenomenology to explore registered nurses’ lived experiences as they transitioned from the role of clinician to novice nurse academic in six Australian universities. Method The essence of this study was to understand the lived experiences of 11 registered nurses who transitioned into the role of a novice nurse academic in 2020. Data collection included individual semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis converted the rich data into interpretations of the lived experience of participants. Findings Four key themes emerged from the data: The ‘Becoming’ of a Nurse Academic, The Fusion of Horizons, The ‘Becoming’ of Intentionality, and the ‘Being’ of a Nurse Academic. Additionally, six pivotal subthemes emerged to reflect the collective essence of the participants’ experience. Discussion Findings from this research render an original contribution to bridge the transitional pedagogical proficiency gap for novice nurse academics. The expert skills and abilities of clinicians are not simply transferable to the nurse academic role. Conclusion This paper provides new insights into the Australian novice nurse academics’ experiences, including the impact that the experiences have on the nurse academic’s transitional progression. Findings from this study generated a targeted transition model termed NOVICE, to provide universities with strategies to support novice nurse academics’ transition to academia.