The overarching goal of the proposed project is to increase the workforce of diverse, qualified clinical faculty and nurse preceptors by enhancing academic-clinical-community infrastructures to enhance recruitment, education/training, and mentorship to prepare potential students to transition into the role of clinical faculty and/or nurse preceptors, in turn, to sustain the nursing workforce in acute-care and community settings where vulnerable and underserved populations are served, such as in Region 2 (i.e., New Jersey, New York, Virgin Island, and Puerto Rico) and nationwide. Leveraging the strengths of our already established academic-clinical-community partnerships, this proposed project will use innovative strategies to recruit and retain diverse clinical nurses/experts to serve as clinical faculty and/or nurse preceptors. The Clinical Instructor and Preceptor Preparation (CLIPP) Academy is designed by the Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden expert nursing faculty to enhance the competency of clinical faculty and nurse preceptors through microlearning modules and a residency program where clinical experts are paired with experienced educators for ongoing mentoring as they transition into their new role as a clinical instructor and/or nurse preceptor. The specific measurable objectives are to: Objective 1: Enhance academic-clinical-community infrastructure for clinical faculty and nurse preceptors. Objective 2: Incorporate clinical faculty and nurse preceptor residency program into existing educational infrastructure through sustainable development of curriculum and training programs. Objective 3: Incorporate a multi-level mentorship program (individual, group, and institutional level) to enhance the competency of clinical faculty and nurse preceptors. Objective 4: Develop digital evidence-based resources for clinical faculty and nurse preceptors (e.g., competency-based microlearning modules, collaboration-networking groups). Objective
5: Disseminate the outcomes of the program and share digital evidence-based resources with collaborative institutes in Region 2 and nationwide. The goals and objectives of this project will be achieved through a collaboration between the Rutgers University School of Nursing-Camden and various already established partnerships with hospital systems and community healthcare facilities throughout Southern New Jersey. These collaborations will provide the opportunity to recruit prospective clinical faculty and nurse preceptor participants for the CLIPP Academy who are currently working with diverse, underserved, and rural populations. The project’s key team members will develop an educational infrastructure and create a digital repository of evidence-based educational resources for clinical faculty and preceptors. The CLIPP Academy will consist of both a didactic component through microlearning modules and a formalized residency program for potential clinical faculty and nurse preceptors. The residency program is an essential component of the CLIPP Academy to support and retain novice clinical faculty and nurse preceptors as they transition into their new roles. Upon successful completion of the one-year CLIPP Academy, graduates will be expected to take advantage of post-training employment opportunities to serve as either clinical instructors or preceptors while providing care to vulnerable and underserved populations both in the acute care and community settings. Through innovation and collaboration with academic-clinical-community partners, this project addresses the current critical shortage of qualified clinical faculty and nursing preceptors. The HHS Region for this NEPQR-CFPA Project is Region 2. A funding preference is requested for serving a rural area.