Novice Nurse Practitioner Faculty and the Online Educator’s Role

Nursing programs continue to transition or establish online education programs in response to the need for nursing faculty to teach in postlicensure to higher educational degree programs. Recruitment efforts target experienced nurse practitioners (NPs) in clinical practice who may be considering an academic role. Before the acceptance of the novice NP faculty role, the components of the role, faculty development resources, extent of orientation, and role expectations must be discussed. Limited preparation to online education environments jeopardizes the recruitment and retention of qualified NP faculty. This article reviews strategies for successfully acclimating novice faculty to online teaching. •Online nursing programs are a response to a deficiency of qualified nurse faculty.•Nurse practitioners (NPs) considering academia must understand the faculty role.•A comprehensive orientation is necessary for the recruitment and retention of NPs.•Novice NP faculty must be versed in the appropriate online pedagogical methods.