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In the UK, most initial nurse and teacher education is provided by university departments working in partnership with local health trusts and schools. New university lecturers in these professional fields are generally selected due to their successful performance as practitioners, as nurses or school teachers, rather than on more traditional requirements for appointment as an academic focusing on scholarship. This project investigates the workplace learning and identity-building experiences of nurses and of school teachers in their first four years in higher education lecturer posts. It aims to inform practice in academic induction for these groups of staff. In the case study institution, the new lecturers find their transition to higher education challenging and confusing because of tensions over what a lecturer should be. They tend to hold on to existing identities as practitioners rather than embracing new identities as academics. The implications for academic induction of these lecturers are considered.

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This study investigates the workplace learning experiences of recently appointed lecturers in UK higher education in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions. Health care practitioners, appointed to academic posts in Universities, are experts in their respective clinical fields and hold strong practitioner identities developed through professional socialisation. This study focuses on the first five years of experience after appointment to higher education and aims to inform strategies for academic induction. The new lecturers generally find their mid-career transition challenging but they feel well supported. They are strongly motivated by their contribution to the development of student practitioners. They tend to hold on strongly to their identity as a clinical practitioner rather than quickly embracing new identities of scholar and researcher. The implications include the need for university departments in health professional fields to provide clearer role models and more realistic expectations for new lecturers.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less