Study on Perceived Opportunities for Professional Development Among Young Faculty Members of University Schools of Nursing

本研究旨在探讨大学护理学院青年教师对专业发展机会的认知。在本研究中，青年教职员工被定义为担任研究助理职务的人员。本次调查的参与者为104家注册护理学位授予机构(不包括2003年注册的机构)的1080名教职员工。匿名邮寄的自我管理问卷被发送，收到了41所学校教职员工的415份有效回复。总体回复率为41.3%。62.9%的研究助理教学经验不足3年。其中47.5%的人表示有意继续从事专业教育工作，但他们未来的职业生涯规划仍不确定。相比之下，只有12.4%的助理教授报告说自己的教学经验不到3年，大多数(69.1%)的教学经验超过5年。9.3%的人有20年以上的工作经验。80.4%的助理教授表达了继续从事专业教育的意愿，研究助理认为他们很少有机会与其他教职员工一起参与合作的教育或研究活动。这项研究的受访者认为，这些类型的机会随着晋升的增加而增加。在接受调查的所有教职员工中，80%的人认为研究和教育领域的合作活动有助于专业发展。因此，建议研究助理应该有更多的合作活动机会。大多数受访者报告说，研究助理以观察员身份参加教员会议，无权参与决策。有人建议，为了专业发展的目的，应鼓励研究助理扩大其作用和权威，同时考虑到他们的经验和能力。

This study aimed to explore the perceptions of opportunities for professional development among young faculty of University schools of Nursing. In this study, young faculty members were defined as those holding the position of research assistant. The participants of this survey were 1,080 faculty members employed by 104 registered nursing degree-granting institutions (excluding those registered in 2003). Anonymous mailed self-administered questionnaires were sent, and 415 valid responses from faculty at 41 schools were received. The overall response rate was 41.3%.62.9% of the research assistants who responded had less than 3 years of teaching experience. 47.5% of these expressed their intention to continue as professional educators, but their future career plans remained uncertain. In contrast, only 12.4% of the assistant professors who responded reported having less than 3 years of teaching experience, and the majority (69.1 %) had more than 5 years teaching experience. 9.3% reported more than 20 years experience. 80.4% of assistant professors expressed their intention to continue as professional educators.Research assistants perceived they had little opportunity to be involved in collaborative educational or research activities with other faculty members. The respondents of this study perceived that these types of opportunities increased with promotion. Eighty percent of all faculty surveyed perceived that collaborative activities in research and education contributed to professional development. Therefore, it is suggested that research assistants should have more opportunities for collaborative activities. Most of the respondents reported that research assistants attended faculty meetings as observers and were not entitled to participate in decision making. It is suggested that for the purpose of professional development, research assistants should be encouraged to extend their role and authority, taking into consideration their experience and abilities.