From Dissertation Defense to Dissemination: Jump Start Your Academic Career With a Scholar Mentor Group.

Abstract

The dissertation provides an excellent source of scholarly productivity for new doctoral faculty, yet is often neglected because of the demands inherent in the faculty role. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a scholar mentor group composed of three graduates of a PhD nursing program and their shared dissertation chair, who acted as a senior scholar mentor to the group. By working together, we have been able to enhance our scholarly productivity by disseminating our dissertations through presentations and publications. The paper will present the evolving process of this working group, summarize outcomes, analyze the challenges, and provide suggestions for future doctoral students and faculty who are working with them. Our experience and scholar mentor model captures the best of both worlds-the benefits of interaction with academic peers and the benefits of having a senior scholar mentor. This was accomplished while all members were at different schools in different cities and states. Although other literatures that document successful collaborations using a peer-mentorship model are available, we were unable to locate any that documents a post-doctoral group with a senior scholar mentor who continued working together after graduation.