Preparing nurse scientists for health services and policy research: Five-year outcomes of interprofessional postdoctoral training in the National Clinician Scholars Program

Abstract

Background: The National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) is an interprofessional postdoctoral fellowship for physicians and nurses with a PhD. or DNP focused on health services research, policy, and leadership. Purpose: To evaluate 5-year outcomes of nurse postdoctoral scholars in the NCSP. Methods: We describe the 5-year outcomes of nurse fellows and graduates from six NCSP sites (positions, number of peer-reviewed publications, citations, and h-index). Conclusion: There were 53 nurses in the sample (34 alumni, 19 fellows). Approximately half (47%, n = 16) of alumni had tenure-track faculty positions and had bibliometric performance indicators (such as h-indices) 2 to 4 times greater than those previously reported for assistant professors in nursing schools nationally. NCSP nurse scholars and alumni also had an impact on community partnerships, health equity, and health policy Discussion: This study highlights the potential of interprofessional postdoctoral fellowships such as the NCSP to prepare nurse scientists for health care leadership roles.