Moving Toward Equity and Transparency in NP Faculty Workload: It's More Than Just Credits

Abstract

Background: Nurse practitioner (NP) programs rely on a highly educated and experienced faculty to deliver the curriculum. Full-time NP faculty are expected to be doctorally prepared, with responsibilities for instruction, an active clinical practice, scholarship, and service.

Problem: Although the majority of faculty workload comes from effort in instruction, there is significant variability in how faculty workload is assigned. Absent a national model, schools of nursing are challenged to develop workload models for NP faculty to allocate effort for the full scope of work that NP faculty are expected to perform to meet requirements for academic credentialing bodies, licensure, and academic promotion.

Approach: This article examines current practices in NP workload allocation and explores ways to allocate effort to the domains of work integral to NP education.

Conclusion: NP faculty workload models should align with academic promotion expectations to encourage equity and transparency.