Using a Writing Group to Promote Faculty Scholarship

Collaborative International Nursing Writing Group: A Nonpatriarchal Approach

This paper offers a critical discussion of the evolution and impact of an international nursing writing group, developed to support nursing faculty and academics globally. Amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the writing group adapted and thrived online with a flattened power structure, and shared influence and acknowledgment of mutual capacity and contribution. The writing group attracted participants from various countries, with international members enriching collaboration, and fostering a global network of nursing scholars. By embracing diverse perspectives and promoting nonpatriarchal approaches to scholarly writing, the International Writing Group became a unique and valuable platform for academic growth and cross-cultural exchange in nursing.

Interventions to enhance the research productivity of academic staff in higher education schools of nursing: A systematic review

AIM

Synthesize and present peer-reviewed evidence of interventions that enhance the research productivity of academics in Schools of Nursing in Higher Education Institutions.

BACKGROUND

Pressures on academics in Schools of Nursing worldwide to increase or maintain high research productivity persist and numerous Higher Education Institutions across the world have developed interventions to increase productivity. Given evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a withdrawal from research, understanding which interventions best support and improve research productivity is urgent. Increasing research capacity is crucial but only one element in increasing productivity. No recent attempt has been made to synthesise the knowledge gained from these more wide-ranging initiatives.

DESIGN

A mixed-methods systematic review, registered in PROSPERO, searching four academic databases (CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO) from 1/01/2010-20/04/2022. All primary research studies of relevant interventions were included if they described the intervention, reported its outcomes and were published in the English language in peer-reviewed journals.

RESULTS

1637 studies were assessed against eligibility criteria, resulting in 20 included studies. No studies were excluded based on quality. Data pertaining to understandings of 'research productivity', barriers to research productivity, interventions and outcomes of interventions were extracted. The most often used measures were the frequency or staff-output ratio of funding, publications and presentations, while the less commonly used were the number of conference abstracts submitted/accepted and awards. Subjective measures were less commonly used. Barriers to research productivity fell into three broad categories: resource constraints, lack of priority for research and barriers related to the attitudes, knowledge and skills of School of Nursing academics. Interventions covered nine broad areas. Half of the interventions were multi-stranded, including a wide range of components to increase research productivity while the other half comprised one component only, such as writing groups and mentoring. All interventions had a positive impact on research productivity, however, heterogeneity in the measurement of impact, the duration of interventions, sources of comparative data and research design made comparison of interventions challenging.

CONCLUSIONS

The review identified a need for future research to explore the barriers among under-represented groups of academics in Schools of Nursing across a broader geographical area; and what works for various sub-groups of academics. It also identified a need for a valid, standardised tool to assess the effectiveness of interventions to increase research productivity of academics in Schools of Nursing.

Faculty writing accountability groups: A protocol for traditional and virtual settings

Publishing is a measure of faculty performance, yet barriers often include getting started, time management, and difficulty finishing. Manuscript submissions also lack deadlines, which creates additional challenges. Writing accountability groups (WAGs) are associated with increased faculty writing productivity. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of WAGs, including the process, participants, writing productivity outcomes, benefits, challenges, and unintended consequences. To maintain our writing progress during the COVID-19 pandemic, we moved our WAG sessions to a virtual platform. Our WAG protocol (both face-to-face and virtual) is shared to help other faculty members or doctoral students implement writing accountability groups. We also advocate for hybrid WAG sessions to promote attendance. In addition to facilitation of scholarly writing and improved writing habits, our WAG created opportunities for scholarly communication and networking with colleagues.

The Proposal Preparation Program: A Group Mentoring, Faculty Development Model to Facilitate the Submission and Funding of NIH Grant Applications

This article describes the University of Minnesota Medical School Proposal Preparation Program (P3). P3 is designed to develop grant-writing skills for assistant professors preparing their first K- or R-series application to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Three 4-month P3 cycles are conducted annually. For each cycle, a cohort of around 10 assistant professor participants and 5 regular faculty mentors meet for ten ~2-hour group sessions. Participants receive iterative oral and written feedback on their proposals in development within a small, interdisciplinary, group mentoring setting providing structure, accountability, guidance, and support. Between sessions, 1 peer and 1 mentor are assigned (on a rotating basis) to critique each participant's developing application. The sessions include a brief mentor-led presentation on a particular grant section followed by discussion of each participant's application conducted by the assigned reviewers. The cycle concludes with a mock NIH review session, in which each participant is matched with a University of Minnesota faculty content expert who critiques their completed application using NIH guidelines. In a survey sent to all past P3 participants as of 2018 (n = 194), 88% of respondents reported having submitted their P3-developed NIH grant, and 35% of these submitters reported funding success. A separate analysis of institutional data for all past P3 participants as of 2016 (n = 165) showed that 73% submitted at least 1 NIH proposal since completing P3 and that 43% of these had acquired NIH funding, for a combined total of $193 million in funding awarded. The estimated rate at which participants obtained funding for their P3-developed grant application (~35%) exceeds the national annual NIH grant funding rates (~20%) by approximately 50%. This article provides the practical information needed for other institutions to implement a P3-like program and presents a cost-benefit analysis showing the advantages of doing so.

Faculty writing groups: The impact of protected writing time and group support

Faculty at teaching institutions carry high teaching loads, leaving little time to write manuscripts or grant applications, let alone getting them published or awarded. This manuscript describes the impact of protected writing time for faculty at a higher education, teaching institution who committed to focused, uninterrupted writing time on a weekly basis and exchanged writing challenges and tips with colleagues. A mixed methods approach was used to assess the impacts of the writing group which found increased productivity (manuscripts and publications, proposals and grants) and sense of a research community with enhanced structural knowledge, camaraderie, and morale.

Examining the Influence of Academic Nurse Educator Doctoral Degree Preparation on National League for Nursing Core Competency Skill Acquisition

AIM

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of academic nurse educator doctoral degree preparation on National League for Nursing (NLN) core competency skill acquisition.

BACKGROUND

Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) graduates frequently seek faculty positions, yet neither degree exclusively prepares graduates for careers in academia.

METHOD

A descriptive, correlational design was utilized to examine the influence of doctoral degree preparation on NLN core competency skill acquisition. A randomized, nationwide sample (N = 160) of full-time nurse educators teaching in American Association of Colleges of Nursing member schools across the United States completed the Nurse Educator Skill Acquisition Assessment.

RESULTS

PhD-prepared educators reported higher NLN core competency skill acquisition scores than DNP-prepared nurse educators. There were statistically significant differences in overall skill acquisition scores between DNP- and PhD-prepared nurse educators and for the "use assessment and evaluation" and "engage in scholarship" domains.

CONCLUSION

These findings provide opportunities for NLN core competency skill acquisition among DNP- and PhD-prepared faculty.

Inspiring Writing in Nursing: A Clinical Nurse Specialist-Led Program

BACKGROUND

Hospitals are constantly involved in quality improvement and research projects investing considerable money, time, and effort in supporting these projects; however, there is not always a strong enough focus on publishing the results. The challenge lies in engaging clinicians to publish their work. One of the hallmarks of the clinical nurse specialist is mentoring, and this has led to the creation of our Inspiring Writing in Nursing (IWIN) program.

PURPOSE

The goal of IWIN cohort was to engage and promote publication submissions from frontline clinicians. The 18-member Nursing Research and Evidence-Driven Practice Council (NR-EDPC) supports more than 3000 nurses in quality and research projects. Two senior librarians support our council and staff. In 2014, we launched our first IWIN cohort to mentor nurses in writing and submitting for publication.

EVALUATION

The NR-EDPC motto "meet them where they are" applies to both location and level of research/EDPC knowledge and skill. An Annual Nursing Research Conference showcases the products of nursing science. The first cohort of IWIN enrolled 11 mentees, and after a yearlong journey, we submitted 5 of 11 manuscripts, 3 withdrew, and 3 are still under revisions. From the 5 submissions, 3 were published, 1 was rejected, and 1 is currently under revision.

DISCUSSION

With support and the infrastructure of our NR-EDPC, we are launching our second IWIN cohort.

Onramp to Scholarship: Putting Clinical Faculty Members on the Path to Academic Productivity

Many faculty members in the health professions who come from a clinical background lack the research experience to produce original scholarship. Most faculty development programs focus on supporting individual projects, which helps faculty members who are already pursuing an intellectual question to locate useful resources. Those programs provide limited benefit, however, to faculty members without an identified academic project. An independent, health sciences graduate school designed and implemented a solution to create scholarship groups in which early career faculty members joined ongoing projects led by an experienced investigator. Groups presented internally at a midyear check-in and an end of the academic year poster session. Of the four groups launched in September 2017, three pursued systematic reviews or analyses of existing data. At the end of 9 months, all 4 groups had drafted a manuscript for peer review. Collectively, members of the group had made five poster presentations at national or international conferences and hosted one continuing education workshop. The experience suggests that collaborative projects are a viable form of faculty development to enhance scholarly productivity. Borrowing from the postdoctoral model of scientific mentoring, early career faculty members sacrifice some autonomy of intellectual pursuits in exchange for expert guidance. Senior investigators invest time in coaching novice researchers in exchange for additional intellectual labor and perspectives.

Design and Evaluation of a Longitudinal Faculty Development Program to Advance Scholarly Writing Among Pharmacy Practice Faculty

Objective. To describe the design and evaluation of a six-month longitudinal faculty development program designed to promote experience and skills in scholarly writing among pharmacy practice faculty. Methods. Writer's Block uses a scheduled weekly writing time, peer support, and multiple accountability measures to promote progress in manuscript writing. Faculty participation, satisfaction, and manuscript writing progress were used to evaluate the program's success. Demographic data describing faculty participation in at least one of three cohorts of Writer's Block were collected. Satisfaction was determined using an anonymous online survey. Writing progress was determined through reporting of weekly manuscript word counts and submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Results. Twelve assistant professors participated in one or more program cohorts to develop 20 manuscripts. Twelve (60%) manuscripts were submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Of these, 10 (83%) have been published or accepted for publication, and one (8%) is undergoing peer review. The majority of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the program was helpful in starting and advancing manuscript writing. Specific program components meant to encourage writing accountability, such as monthly meetings, reporting word counts, and setting a weekly writing schedule, were highly valued. Conclusion. This program is the first described writing-focused faculty development program among pharmacy practice faculty. It successfully engaged pharmacy practice faculty members in the scholarly writing process, evidenced by participation in the program, participant satisfaction, and documented progress in manuscript development.

Mentoring Clinical Nurses to Write for Publication: Strategies for Success

: Clinical nurses often find writing a challenge, but it's important to disseminate clinical practice initiatives that result in notable patient outcomes. Nurses have a responsibility to share what they do to improve patient care. The increased emphasis on the development and evaluation of evidence-based practice has made it necessary for nurses to share best practices that are associated with improved patient outcomes. We developed a six-month Writing for Publication workshop series designed to teach clinical nurses about the writing process and mentor them through the stages of preparing a manuscript to submit for publication. This successful program helped novice nurse authors become published professionals and had a great impact on our organization.

Writing for publication: institutional support provides an enabling environment

BACKGROUND

Due to the excessive service delivery loads in public hospitals supported by academic institutions in developing environments, researchers at these institutions have little time to develop scientific writing skills or to write up their research. It is imperative to expand the writing skills of researchers and train the next generation of health sciences academics in order to disseminate research findings. This study reports on the implementation of approaches for writing and publication and the extent of support to staff suffering from the overload of service delivery and of heavy teaching duties.

METHODS

Workshops in scientific writing and writing retreats were initiated and were offered to all staff.

RESULTS

Feedback from participants of the writing skills workshops indicated that the workshops provided an injection of confidence and proficiency. Protected writing time resulted in 132 papers submitted to journals and 95 in preparation from 230 participants of the writing retreats over a two year period. Staff commended the off-site, collegial environment, which also supported future collaboration with new-found colleagues.

CONCLUSION

This enabling environment facilitates not only the development of writing skills per se, but also the dissemination of the generated scientific knowledge. In addition, the training in writing skills of this generation will be of value in the training of future cohorts in countries with similar health care deliverables.

Scientific writing seminar for early-stage investigators in substance abuse research

BACKGROUND

There is little information on how to increase the scientific writing productivity of early-stage investigators in the addictions field. A scientific writing seminar is presented in this article, aiming to encourage manuscript writing and dissemination of addiction research, and outcomes are reported for 14 years of the seminar.

METHODS

In 14 years, there were 113 postdoctoral fellow enrollments in a 6-month writing seminar. Records of submission and publication rates of manuscripts were collected for 14 cohorts.

RESULTS

Of the 113 participant enrollments, 97 (86%) submitted a manuscript for publication, and 87 participants (77%) published their manuscript.

CONCLUSIONS

A scientific writing seminar may benefit writing productivity, but more research is needed to compare this training model with other existing models.

Getting published: reflections of a collaborative writing group

BACKGROUND

Writing for publication, in the nursing profession, is considered essential for the development of the profession and individual career advancement. In education there is also the increasing pressure to produce University research output.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a collaborative writing group to develop and write articles relating to our teaching practice.

METHOD

The idea of forming a writing group was discussed at a module team meeting where five academics expressed an interest. The process of forming the group involved an initial meeting to discuss and agree to the aims, interests, expertise and areas of responsibility for each member. Regular meetings are held and each member takes on responsibility for an aspect of work towards completing the articles.

RESULTS

Three articles and one editorial have been published and another is under peer review. We have endeavoured to develop and maintain a theme, this being supporting nursing students' development with an emphasis on an aspect of their decision making skills. Also, importantly, we have created a supportive environment and friendships.

CONCLUSIONS

The demands made upon the nurse educator to be clinically, educationally and research active can be difficult to meet. Collaborative writing groups may be one way to fulfil the scholarly activity element.

A feeling of flow: exploring junior scientists' experiences with dictation of scientific articles

BACKGROUND

Science involves publishing results, but many scientists do not master this. We introduced dictation as a method of producing a manuscript draft, participating in writing teams and attending a writing retreat to junior scientists in our department. This study aimed to explore the scientists' experiences with this process.

METHODS

Four focus group interviews were conducted and comprised all participating scientists (n = 14). Each transcript was transcribed verbatim and coded independently by two interviewers. The coding structure was discussed until consensus and from this the emergent themes were identified.

RESULTS

Participants were 7 PhD students, 5 scholarship students and 2 clinical research nurses. Three main themes were identified: 'Preparing and then letting go' indicated that dictating worked best when properly prepared. 'The big dictation machine' described benefits of writing teams when junior scientists got feedback on both content and structure of their papers. 'Barriers to and drivers for participation' described flow-like states that participants experienced during the dictation.

CONCLUSIONS

Motivation and a high level of preparation were pivotal to be able to dictate a full article in one day. The descriptions of flow-like states seemed analogous to the theoretical model of flow which is interesting, as flow is usually deemed a state reserved to skilled experts. Our findings suggest that other academic groups might benefit from using the concept including dictation of manuscripts to encourage participants' confidence in their writing skills.

Case writing as a vehicle for promoting cultural competency: a retrospective, descriptive qualitative analysis

BACKGROUND

A variety of approaches are available that provide cultural competency education for practicing physicians. There is, however, still a need for additional, innovative approaches that address continuing education and professional improvement regarding cultural competency for physicians after their training.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the potential impact on established clinicians of writing an extended case narrative on cultural competency.

METHODS

We conducted structured interviews of physician contributors (n = 14) to a book of cases on cultural competency. Authors were invited to contribute to the book based on their experiences as established clinicians, and previous expertise in cultural competency research or education was not required. Because of this, the editors employed a process in which they worked with contributors in a one-on-one manner to develop their case(s).

RESULTS

The participants were experienced physicians (all > 10 years since medical school graduation), most of whom were white (64%) and affiliated with an academic medical center (86%). The majority of the contributors (1) reported that writing their case(s) increased their awareness of, and sensitivity to, issues of cultural competency; (2) indicated that the writing of their case(s) changed their approach to patient care and/ or their education of medical students or graduate medical trainees; and (3) would recommend case writing as a vehicle for promoting cultural sensitivity and awareness.

CONCLUSIONS

Although preliminary, these data suggest that the cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence of established physicians might be enhanced by a process in which clinicians are facilitated in the writing of cases that address issues of culture that are pertinent to their practice and patient experiences.

The Writing Series Project: a model for supporting social work clinicians in health settings to disseminate practice knowledge

Social work clinicians across health care settings are uniquely positioned to disseminate valuable practice experience, thereby contributing to knowledge development within their field of practice and across disciplines. Unfortunately, practitioners tend to shy away from writing and research, and are often reluctant to publicly disseminate their expertise through peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations. To better support health social workers in scholarly endeavors, we developed and implemented The Writing Series Project in southeast Queensland, Australia. This article reports on the development, programmatic challenges and practitioner feedback that offer insight into the benefits and pitfalls that we encountered.

Getting published in an academic-community hospital: the success of writing groups

Expressed barriers to writing for publication include lack of time, competing demands, anxiety about writing and a lack of knowledge about the submission process. These limitations can be magnified for practitioners in non-university environments in which there are fewer incentives or expectations regarding academic publication productivity. However, as members of professional disciplines, practitioners have both the responsibility and, oftentimes, the insights to make valuable contributions to the professional literature. Collaborative writing groups can be a useful intervention to overcome barriers, provide the necessary skills and encouragement as well as produce publications and conference presentations that make worthy additions to the professional body of knowledge. This article discusses the evolution and outcomes of writing groups at Lehigh Valley Health Network and describes how this strategy can be adopted by other academic community hospitals to promote professional development and publication.

Mental health nursing: transitions from practice roles to academia

PURPOSE

This paper provides an overview of some challenges facing mental health practice nurses transitioning to academic life, and suggests possible strategies to prevent foreseeable difficulties.

FINDINGS

New and existing mental health faculty will benefit from a greater awareness of barriers and developing entry protocols to enhance the transition experience and reduce early workplace stressors.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Preparation and support for mental health staff transitioning from practice to the academe are essential to enhance the transition experience and reduce early workplace stressors.