Transition from Academia to Home Health Practice

Abstract

When a professor leaves a long-time teaching position in baccalaureate nursing to work in a nursing staff position in home health care, this change engenders certain, perhaps conflicting, expectations from the professor and the agency. Tension may exist because of differences between the two roles in the level of independent functioning, the level of authority, communicating with physicians, professional competence, and time constraints. Supportive agency staff helps to minimize the conflicts through a tailored orientation. This article reviews role change theory as it pertains to this transition, discusses differences between academia and home health practice roles as they affect employment, makes recommendations for agencies and faculty to help with this role transition, and relates one nursing professor’s experiences during her orientation to a new home health staff position.