Abstract
Background Part-time clinical nurse educators who simultaneously work in both a clinical and an academic setting experience a unique work-role transition. Identifying and addressing their needs during this time may assist in new faculty retention. Purpose As part of a larger study examining the work-role transition of part-time clinical nurse faculty, a specific research question was developed to determine how these individuals experience the phases of the Nurse Educator Transition (NET) model. Methods This qualitative phenomenological study used both purposive and snowball sampling to recruit 14 RNs who were part-time clinical educators. Results Study findings validated all 4 phases of the NET model. In addition, several participants indicated a sense of returning to the first 2 phases of transition at the beginning of new semesters and courses. Conclusion The NET model is applicable to the part-time clinical nurse educator population. This theory can be used as a framework to design orientation and mentorship programs that specifically target part-time clinical nurse educators.