A nursing department faculty-mentored research project.

Faculty must meet academic expectations for retention, tenure, and promotion by demonstrating accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, and service. With fewer than 50% of nursing faculty currently holding a doctorate, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing acknowledges that master's-prepared nurses comprise a significant proportion of current and future faculty. With most of the more than 675 baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States in non-research-intensive universities, junior faculty have limited opportunities to work with experienced nurse researchers and many have limited experience planning, designing, or conducting research. To support the scholarly activities of new faculty, the authors developed a model for implementing collaborative faculty-mentored research projects in a small baccalaureate nursing program. This model encourages and supports both senior and junior faculty in conducting and publishing research.