The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation last week announced
a new scholars program
to develop the next generation of nurse leaders in academia
and boost the stature of
junior faculty in nursing schools. The RWJF Nurse Faculty
Scholars program will provide
$28 million over the next five years to outstanding junior
nursing faculty to help them
advance in their fields and seek faculty positions earlier
in their careers by providing
mentorship, leadership training, salary and research
support.
The five-year program will be hosted by the Johns Hopkins University
School of
Nursing and directed by Jacquelyn C. Campbell, the Anna
D. Wolf Chair and Professor.
"The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing is
proud to be the national
program office of the RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars program,
and I am excited to have
the opportunity to direct the program," Campbell said. "As
one of the leading schools of
nursing in the country, JHU SoN holds among its highest
priorities the development of
nursing faculty as academic leaders--leaders who combine
excellence in research,
teaching, practice and service. This program is exactly
what schools of nursing like JHU
need to develop our young, promising faculty members so
that they continue to teach the
future nurses of this country."
Despite a rise in applicants, nursing schools in the
United States turn away
thousands of prospective students from baccalaureate and
master's programs because of
an acute shortage of faculty and clinical preceptors,
training sites, space and funding
constraints. Since the stature of nursing schools and the
promotion of nursing faculty are
dependent on the quality of the faculty's scholarly and/or
research pursuits, the Nurse
Faculty Scholars program will work to strengthen the link
between institutional
reputation and faculty success by providing career
development and other opportunities
for outstanding junior faculty.
Scholars will be given opportunities to develop a
research program and other
scholarly activities, work closely with institutional and
national mentors, participate in
leadership training, and network with scholars, experts and
colleagues in their fields and
related ones. Scholars also will be able to gain protected
time to get the critical skills
needed for a successful career in academic nursing.
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation,
said, "Universities are turning away thousands of qualified
applicants to nursing schools
each year because they lack the faculty to teach them. We
have a pipeline problem. We
need to fill that pipeline or we all will suffer the
consequences."
There also are not enough nurses lined up to fill
positions that will be vacated by
retiring faculty, and the Nurse Faculty Scholars program
will aim to encourage junior
nurse faculty to continue on in their roles as
educators.
The program will award up to $350,000 for three years
to each RWJF Nurse
Faculty Scholar; up to 15 scholars will be selected each
year. Applicants must be junior
faculty members with at least two but no more than five
years of experience in a faculty
role. Candidates who completed their doctoral degree within
10 years of receiving their
initial nursing degree are encouraged to apply.
The Nurse Faculty Scholars call for applications is
available online at the RWJF
Web site, www.rwjf.org. The deadline for registration is
April 1. Potential applicants
should visit
www.rwjfnursefacultyscholars.org for more
information.