Nursing leaders across the profession are facing a growing challenge: how to recruit, support, and retain nurses in the midst of a workforce shortage. The U.S. nursing shortage is significantly influenced by limitations in educational capacity. According the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Munday, more than 91,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing programs due in part to a current faculty vacancy rate of 7.2%.
Although efforts have been made to increase nursing student capacity in response to nursing workforce shortages, less emphasis has been placed on the experiences of faculty responsible for educating the next generation of nurses. For many nurses, the shift from clinical practice into academia is challenging as they transition from being an expert in their field to a novice educator.
Novice faculty often enter their role with strong clinical experience, but minimal preparation for teaching, scholarship, and service expectations as academia involves unspoken expectations that are vastly different from the practice environment. Without proper support, this challenging transition can lead to discouragement, diminished confidence, and possible attrition. Addressing this challenge requires more than informal support, it requires structured solutions guided by effective leadership.
Mentorship as a leadership strategy
Mentorship is typically discussed as a professional development tool, but in the current academic environment, it should be viewed as a strategic leadership strategy. Within academic settings, mentorship has been identified as a critical mechanism for fostering collegiality, professional development, and faculty well-being. Unstructured or informal mentorships lack consistency, accountability, and alignment with organizational goals.
Nurse leaders in academia have the opportunity to move beyond informal approaches through development and implementation of structured mentorship programs to support faculty success and retention. According to the National League for Nursing, strategic mentoring relationships should be intentionally nurtured, institutionally supported, and recognized as indicators of excellence within nursing academia.
Designing a structured mentorship model
A nursing program at a regional, Midwest university identified a need for a structured mentorship program to enhance faculty retention, satisfaction, and a supportive work environment. The existing onboarding experience lacked personalization for the new hires’ goals. To address this, faculty reviewed best practices on mentorship programs, including structured expectations and program outlines. The mentorship program was intentionally designed as a leadership-driven initiative to improve novice faculty engagement, confidence, and long-term retention by providing a framework that’s adaptable to individual faculty needs.
Clear roles and responsibilities were defined for the department chairperson, mentor, and mentee. A timeline with an outline of meetings was developed, including the topics to discuss at each meeting, supplemental continuing education for the mentee to review, and tasks for the mentor and mentee to accomplish together. These tasks were used to acclimate the mentee to the faculty role, the nursing department, and the university. The mentorship program guide was then edited and approved by nursing faculty. Several key components should be included when developing a strategic mentorship program focused on faculty success and retention.
| Key components of the structured mentorship model | |
| Early engagement | Mentorship begins prior to the first academic semester during onboarding |
| Intentional pairing | Mentors are selected based on strengths, experience, and alignment with mentee needs |
| Defined roles and responsibilities | Clear expectations are outlined for the mentor, mentee, and leadership |
| Structured timeline | Regular meeting are scheduled with defined goals for each meeting per the mentorship guide, addressing all three areas of the faculty role (teaching, scholarship, and service) |
| Leadership oversight | Department chair and dean maintain active involvement with regular check-ins with the mentor and mentee |
| Resources | Access to onboarding resources, professional development materials, and ongoing support |
Leadership in action
The success of a strategic mentorship program relies heavily on leadership engagement and support. Leaders play a critical role in fostering accountability, ensuring consistency, and creating a culture that values mentorship and growth.
At this university, the dean of the College of Science and Health, which houses the nursing department, identified the need to expand structured mentorship across all academic departments falling under the college. Based on this need, a college-wide mentorship program was built and aligned to the nursing department mentorship process.
The formal mentorship program at the college level involved developing a resource page in the learning management system with modules for the mentee, mentor, and department chair. Additionally, training for new mentors is provided at the beginning of each academic year to ensure mentors understand expectations.
The dean overseeing this college holds periodic meetings with all mentors and mentees throughout the year to ensure compliance with the mentorship program, assess satisfaction with the mentorship relationship, and address any questions or concerns. Through structured check-ins and ongoing communication, leadership can identify faculty challenges early and provide targeted support as a proactive approach to faculty success and retention.
The College of Science and Health mentorship program has fostered a work environment and culture in which faculty feel appreciated and comfortable with the administration.
Perspectives of the mentorship program
Faculty experiences highlight the impact of the support received through the structured mentorship program. The quotes below reflect the perspective of a long-term faculty member and the mentee who’s now entering their third year of teaching.
- The faculty mentor shared: “It has been a joy to watch my mentee grow as an educator. She is thriving in the classroom and students frequently comment on how much they enjoy her teaching style. She has embraced service and scholarship and is already setting goals for future contributions. She is a tremendous asset to our department and the profession.”
- The mentee shared: “Having the opportunity to participate in a structured faculty mentorship program was instrumental to my transition from clinical practice into the academic setting. This framework offered a clear, supportive pathway that helped me build confidence in my teaching, scholarship, and service at the university. Using this as guidance, my mentor’s time commitment and individualized support has positively shaped my academic experience. This mentorship program allows for faculty to thrive through a healthy and supportive work environment.”
The dean of the College of Science and Health at the university collected survey data from mentors and mentees after 1 year of participation. One mentee shared that they have “increased confidence in designing engaging, hands-on course materials and managing classroom experiences that help students connect theory to practice.” Another mentee discussed how successful the program was, noting that their background wasn’t in academia. This mentee said that their mentor helped them to “shift away from the more reserved, cautious style of working, and encouraged me to take initiative and engage more directly.”
The mentors appreciated a formal mentoring process that held them accountable for their mentee’s success, despite the challenges related to time constraints and busy schedules.
These perspectives underscore the importance of intentional, consistent support during this critical transition period.
Creating a culture of support and retention
The structured mentorship program continues to evolve, but several important outcomes have emerged that are relevant to nursing leadership:
- Increased faculty confidence in teaching and other academic responsibilities
- Improved role clarity for new faculty
- Enhanced engagement in departmental and institutional activities
- Stronger relationships between faculty and leadership
- Early identification of challenges, allowing for mitigation
From a departmental and organizational perspective, the program has contributed to a more supportive and collaborative culture. These outcomes suggest that structured mentorship not only benefits individual faculty members, but also the overall academic environment.
Positive cultures in academia don’t happen by chance; rather, they’re the result of intentional leadership decisions. When faculty are confident and engaged, they’re more likely to be retained by the organization. Because of this, structured mentorship is a critical component of faculty retention and workforce sustainability. Strong faculty foster strong students who impact the nursing workforce and professional sustainability. For academic leaders, investing in mentorship is an investment in the future of our profession.
Looking ahead: Evolving mentorship models
As nursing faculty shortages continue to grow and the complexity of the faculty role continues to increase, mentorship must evolve beyond initial onboarding to support sustained faculty growth and long-term retention. As faculty gain confidence and competence in their role, their needs, and therefore their mentorship structures, must change accordingly.
Recognizing this, the mentorship program described is evolving to include a second-year model. In this phase, a mentee will provide the department chairperson with their individualized goals related to teaching, scholarship, and service. This shift acknowledges that as new faculty transition from novice educators, mentorship is most effective when aligned with their professional areas of interest.
Additionally, the program may include a planned expansion into a leadership mentorship program. This program would include mentorship targeted toward cultivating future academic leaders. These efforts reflect a broader commitment to encouraging the next generation of nursing leaders in academia as part of efforts to support stability of nursing education and ultimately the workforce.
The bottom line for academic leaders
Structured mentorship is more than just a supportive practice, it’s a leadership strategy designed to address one of the most pressing challenges in nursing education today. By investing in intentional mentorship programs, academic leaders can:
- Strengthen faculty confidence and engagement
- Improve faculty retention
- Foster healthy academic work environments with a positive culture
- Support sustainability of the nursing workforce
Leading the way in nursing education requires proactive, strategic solutions. Structured mentorship offers a practical approach to supporting faculty and advancing the profession.
References
Keyt J, Herrington M. Survey on vacant faculty positions for academic year 2025–2026. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 2025. aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Reports/Faculty-Vacancy-Report-2025.pdf
Munday R. The states with the largest nursing faculty shortage. Nurse Journal. 2023. https://nursejournal.org/articles/states-with-the-largest-nursing-faculty-shortage/
National League for Nursing. Mentoring of nurse faculty position. 2006. nln.org/docs/default-source/uploadedfiles/about/mentoring-of-nurse-faculty-pdf.pdf
