To Give and To Get: How Nurse Faculty Scholars Contribute and Benefit From Participating in Interdisciplinary Research Teams.

Abstract

Meeting the demands for career advancement in the faculty tenure track of a university becomes a challenge for new researchers when active nursing research is limited or nonexistent. Nurse faculty transitioning from clinical practice settings may face greater difficulty climbing the ladder of promotion because of the limited opportunity for nursing research. A way to create a research thread that will allow an opportunity to ease into the new role and build an effective research team is to participate in an interdisciplinary research (IDR) team. This article is written to encourage academic nurse faculty who may find themselves in a nursing research "desert" to collaborate with other disciplines and consider joining an IDR team to get started in career advancement. Three "Gs"-get, give, and generate-have been created to illustrate the benefits and contribution of IDR. Practical ways to help get started and make the best use of the IDR team are suggested. The participation in an IDR team offers new nurse faculty a way to jump-start a scholarly career. Collaboration with like-minded colleagues from various disciplines offers an opportunity to expand knowledge, gain professional growth, and contribute to scientific development.