Perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education

Background: Faculty practice is believed to positively affect health education, however limited research exists on the impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. Purpose: The purpose was to explore the perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. Methods: A preliminary mixed methods approach was used to evaluate nurse practitioner student and faculty perspectives on the impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. Student group interviews were conducted and practicing faculty were surveyed. Results: Study findings included student and faculty-perceived benefits and challenges of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. Specific benefits were increased access to faculty preceptors and clinical sites for nurse practitioner students, influencing faculty-developed education materials, increased number of real-world examples, faculty credibility, applying evidence-based practice, and overall improvement in the quality of teaching. Specific challenges were time, faculty availability to students, managing multiple roles, and clinical sites not conducive to precepting. Conclusion: This study provided preliminary information on the perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education including the benefits and challenges. Findings support faculty practice as having a positive perceived impact on nurse practitioner education.