THE EXPERIENCE OF NOVICE NURSE FACULTY IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

Abstract Saudi Arabia’s economic and population growth is increasing the demands for healthcare services. This demand in healthcare requires an increase in the number of nurses which is further exacerbated by the shortage of nursing faculty in Saudi Arabia. To alleviate the shortage of nurse faculty, nursing schools in Saudi Arabia are recruiting a large number of nurses who are prepared with bachelor’s and master’s degrees to teach pre-licensure nursing students. The challenge is that most Saudi novice faculty do not have teaching or clinical practice experience. The transition to a new role in academia from serving as an expert clinician is challenging, but for those novice nurse faculty in Saudi Arabia it is different, as the faculty members are entering academia as novice faculty and novice nurses. The purposes of the study were to understand the experience of novice nurse faculty members in Saudi Arabia and the influences on novice nurse graduates in their academic role. A qualitative descriptive study grounded in naturalistic inquiry was used to better understand the experience of novice faculty in Saudi Arabia. Purposive sampling with snowballing was used to recruit 10 novice nurse faculty from nursing schools in Saudi universities. Data were collected until saturation was achieved. The researcher interviewed participants using a video conferencing platform, and all interviews were digitally audio-recorded. Content and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. Analysis of the data represented four major themes: teaching on a peninsula, navigating in the dark, grappling with the faculty role, and working hard to create hope for a better tomorrow. The theme of teaching on a peninsula was revealed in the context iv with two subthemes feeling lost and seeing a glimmer of light. There was an additional finding that disclosed a positive experience as novice faculty. This study has implications for nursing science and research, nursing education and administration, and nursing practice. Theoretically the findings support Duchscher’s Transition Shock theory and stages of new nursing graduate role transition. The findings add to the body of knowledge in the literature regarding the novice faculty experience, self-confidence, and the strategies needed to enhance novice faculty teaching performance from a different cultural perspective and may be transferable to other settings. Knowledge gathered from this study could help nurse educators and administrators develop plans for recruitment, mentoring, orientation, and retention of nurse faculty, as well as potentially impact the faculty shortage issue. It is important for nursing education to understand novice nurse faculty needs for preparation and a supportive environment to enhance their confidence and teaching performance.