The Invest in Nursing grant has had great success over the past three years in the partnership between UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing and Piedmont Health Services, Inc., with three cohorts of Student Scholars from UNC Chapel Hill, and with three cohorts of Faculty Fellows from across the State of North Carolina. This program is a time-limited grant funded opportunity, provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration, and will no longer continue programming in this current iteration after the 2021-2022 cohort year. It is our hope that other educational entities will use Invest in Nursing as a blueprint for implementing similar programming. Reach Out

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Faculty Fellowship

View our Invest in Nursing Faculty Fellowship video to hear more about the Fellowship from current Fellows, alumni, and Fellowship advisors.

Faculty Fellowship

Background:

Contemporary nursing faculty and leaders received their nursing education in a variety of educational programs. Faculty preparation may or may not have been at the doctoral level, and may or may not have been in nursing. Well-qualified nurse faculty are crucial to transmitting knowledge and maintaining relationships among students, public health nursing leaders and staff, community partners, and stakeholders who work in collaboration with clinical and community agencies. Nursing students practicing in community settings are guided by nursing faculty to address health needs at the population level and, in doing so, often develop leadership skills while working on community projects.

Without appropriate guidance for nursing faculty, the student learning experience is jeopardized, as are community relationships and outcomes. Well-qualified faculty with sufficient educational and experiential preparation are likely to provide learning experiences which benefit students, agencies, and communities.

Program Details: 

The Invest in Nursing Faculty Fellowship is a one-year program consisting of:

  1. Three on-site visits
  2. Distanced-based learning sessions
  3. An Innovation Project

It is designed for early-mid career nursing faculty. Fellows will gain an opportunity to network with other nursing faculty and receive consultation from expert health professions faculty. They will have access to state-of-the-art materials on professional development, building scholarship, developing cutting edge curricula, and building successful relationships with peers and the community.

Faculty Fellows will receive individual and group faculty instruction while completing an Innovative Project in topics that may range from curriculum planning, teaching assessment, career planning, and evidence-based practice. Program participants remain in their current faculty positions while attending three on-site sessions throughout the year at the University of North Carolina campus in collaboration with the UNC-CH SON.

Sample On-site Sessions:

  1. The Leadership Challenge
  2. Innovative Techniques for Teaching
  3. Reflective Practice
  4. Developing a Dissemination Plan

Sample Distance-Based Sessions:

  1. Instructional Technology in the Classroom
  2. Academic Writing
  3. Having Difficult Conversations

Sample Innovative Project Topics:

  1. Creating a Just-in-Time Culture for Low Volume High Risk Tasks (LVHR), Mobile Application Technology. A Quality Improvement Methodology Using Mobile Applications to Help Decrease Anxiety Among Nursing Staff and Maintain Patient Safety “Just-In-Time”.
  2.  Promoting Diversity in the Nursing Workforce. Created marketing video to encourage high school students from diverse backgrounds to consider Nursing and performed pre-post survey to identify increase in interest in Nursing.
  3. Fostering Resilience in Nursing students through introduction of the Cognitive Model framework and program faculty and students and increasing awareness of cognitive distortions.
  4. Disaster Nursing: Partnering with the Community to Teach Nursing Students. Create in-person and online training in partnership with the Red Cross to inform pre-licensure nursing students of barriers and challenges faced by community members during disasters.

Session Schedule

Session Schedule

2020-2021 Faculty Fellowship Year:

Session 1 – August 3-5, 2020.

Session 2 – January 4-5, 2021.

Session 3 – May 17-18, 2021.

2021-2022 Faculty Fellowship Year:

Monday, August 2 – Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Tuesday, January 4- Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Monday May 16 – Tuesday, May 17, 2022

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: What are the dates for the on-site session for the upcoming 2020-2021 Fellowship year?

A: Session 1 – August 3-5, 2020.

Session 2 – January 4-5, 2021.

Session 3 – May 17-18, 2021.

 

Q: I am a local candidate, do I have to stay on-site during each conference?

A: Yes, in order to fully immerse yourself in the program, we ask that you come on-site and stay for its entirety.

 

Q: How many hours per month can I expect to dedicate to the Faculty Fellowship?

A: Aside from the on-site conferences, you can expect to dedicate an average of 10 hours per month to the program’s components.

 

Q: Can I receive continuing education (CEUs) for participating in the session?

A: Yes, we work with North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) to award CEUs for each on-site session.

 

Q: What will Faculty Fellows receive for completing the program?

A: Aside from receiving continuing education contact hours, Faculty Fellows who successfully complete the one-year program will receive a certificate of completion for the Invest in Nursing Faculty Fellowship. Fellows will also receive career and project mentoring throughout the program.

 

Q: Will there be any compensation for being accepted into the program?

A: The on-site workshops and accommodations during the conferences will be covered by the program. Faculty Fellows will be responsible for their own travel expenses.

 

Q: What are the qualifications for applicants?

A: The Invest in Nursing Faculty Fellowship program is being offered to faculty members from early to mid-career level, teaching pre-licensure nursing students at accredited schools of nursing across the state of North Carolina.

Sakai

Selected Nurse Faculty Fellows can access Invest in Nursing Faculty Fellowship related materials by visiting the Sakai site.