CON Faculty Workload Guidelines

From University of Nebraska Medical Center
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Home   Appendices                    


UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
COLLEGE OF NURSING
Faculty Workload Guidelines Subsection: Appendix B2
Section - Appendices Originating Date: January 2006
Responsible Reviewing Agency:
Executive Council
Revised: September 2006
Revised: January 2008
Revised: August 2009
Revised: August 2010
Reviewed: January 2015
Revised: November 2020 (changes)
Revised: February 2024 (changes)
Revised: May 2024 (changes)
Related documents:
Policy 4.4.8 Specialty Coordinator for Professional Graduate Track
Appendix A1 Standards and Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure for Academic Rank
Appendix A2 Standards and Guidelines for Promotion for Clinical Rank
Newhouse, R., Berry, D., Burson, R., Dorough, C., Johnson, B., McSweeney, J., Pereira, K., Swanson, K., Thompson, P., Vitello, J., McGuinn, K., Garcia, R. (2018). Defining scholarship for academic nursing;
AACN Position Statement. https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/position-statements-white-papers/defining-scholarship-for-academic-nursing
Board of Regents bylaws
Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.


1.0    General Principles

  1. The work of the College of Nursing (CON) is accomplished through the committed and collaborative activities of its faculty which are based on the professional model and directed toward achievement of the College of Nursing mission, goals, and strategic plan.
    1. The work of the CON faculty includes teaching, scholarship, and professional service (including practice) as defined in the Standards and Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure for Academic Rank (Appendix A1) or in the Standards and Guidelines for Promotion for Clinical Rank (Appendix A2).
  2. Consistent with the promotion and tenure documents faculty select their two areas of focus. Work allocation is decided by the nursing leadership and based on the needs of the College of Nursing.
  3. Faculty are encouraged, in collaboration with their supervisor, to focus their professional development in two of three areas (teaching, scholarship (in teaching, research, practice), or professional service) as consistent with the Promotion and Tenure Standards and Guidelines.
  4. The work of the CON faculty will fulfill the educational mission aligned with existing resources.
  5. The CON supports all forms of scholarship: (teaching, scholarship (in teaching, research, or practice), or professional service) defined as: generating new knowledge, translating knowledge, and disseminating knowledge to the professional community and the public.
  6. The goal of this document is to provide a framework within which faculty members, their division assistant deans, and associate deans and program directors collaborate to meet the college’s mission, support the strategic plan, and foster individual faculty growth, development, productivity, and success. Effort allocation guidelines are designed to promote faculty effectiveness to meet the mission, goals and strategic directions of the College of Nursing.
  7. Faculty effort is communicated in relation to percentage of FTE. The full-time equivalent (FTE) percentage makes work assignments comparable across various contexts. An FTE of 1.0 means that the person is a full-time faculty member.

2.0    Faculty Role Preferences

Faculty role expectations are varied and depend on expertise, professional goals (academic promotion and tenure or clinical promotion), rank and credentials, employment negotiations, and organizational needs.

2.1    Teaching

Teaching is a core value; all faculty are expected to have a teaching assignment. Faculty who has identified teaching as a priority focus area are expected to fully engage in those efforts, with the support of their division assistant dean and the Associate Dean for Academic Programs.

An example of full-time work for faculty focused on teaching and scholarship and may vary depending on funding and progress towards goals is:

  • 70% (.70 FTE) teaching
  • 10% service in a semester
  • 20% teaching scholarship

An example of full-time work for teaching faculty who do not have allocated time for scholarship is:

  • 90% (.90 FTE) teaching
  • 10% service

2.2    Research

Research is a vital component of the mission of the UNMC College of Nursing, and the college is committed to increasing its research efforts. Faculty who has identified research as a priority focus area of scholarship are expected to fully engage in those efforts, with the support of their division assistant dean, the Associate Dean of Research, and the Niedfelt Nursing Research Center (NNRC).

An example of full-time work for faculty focused on research scholarship and teaching and may vary depending on funding and progress towards goals is:

  • 40% teaching in a semester
  • 50% research in a semester (See Section 2.5 for examples ofr research scholarship)
  • 10% service in a semester

2.3    Practice

Practice is another area valued within the college of nursing. Practice is considered with professional service in the Promotion and Tenure Standards and Guidelines. The CON supports all types of faculty practice for purposes of teaching, maintaining credentialing and scholarship.

Nurse practitioner faculty are expected to keep current their knowledge and skills to support continued licensure and certification, and quality nursing education. However, practice is not limited to APRNs.

The most desired models of practice are CON reimbursed practice through the Morehead Center, as this provides the opportunity for practice time to contribute to the resources of the CON and engages faculty fully in practices addressing the full range of reimbursement and billing issues. Faculty practice not reimbursed is not considered in workload. A faculty practice of one day per week is allocated 20% time per semester. If faculty want to practice more than one day per week, additional FTE can be negotiated based on overall needs of the college. If additional time is needed for documentation, on-call, or care coordination, it is included in the negotiations with the practice agency so the time is reimbursed.

Faculty have the privilege of engaging in outside work up to 16 hours per month according to the Board of Regents bylaws (Outside Employment Policy #1049). Such work is outside the faculty effort allocation guidelines, but per university policy, it is expected that faculty members complete the Outside Employment Form and submit it to their supervisor.

An example of full-time work for faculty focused on practice and teaching and may vary depending on funding and progress towards goals is:

  • 60% teaching in a semester
  • 20% funded practice in a semester
  • 10% service in a semester
  • 10% scholarship in a semester if appropriate for identified goals (See Section 2.5 for examples of practice scholarship)

2.4    Professional Service

Professional service is important to the university and community. Faculty are asked to participate in service activities that align with mission of the CON, UNMC, and the profession. Faculty members are allocated 10% (60 hours/semester) effort for service. As rank progresses from assistant, associate, to full professor, the level of service could change with dean approval

The following are examples of service activities:

  • Chair or co-chair or member of committees within the CON or university
  • Professional service provided to community groups
  • Committee/task force service to local, regional, national, international professional organizations
  • Holding a leadership position in a professional organization
  • Serving on a PhD dissertation committee.

2.6    Administration

The role of Specialty Track Coordinator will receive 0.20 FTE (120 clock hours/semester). Please see Policy 4.4.8 Specialty Coordinator for Professional Graduate Track.

College Dean, Associate Deans, Assistant Deans, Directors, and Program Coordinators will receive the FTE designated for the role.

3.0    Effort Calculation information

  •      FTE for calculating effort per semester:
    • The unit for calculating teaching work assignment is the FTE.
    • Example: 0.2 FTE = 120 clock hours per semester
      • 0.025 FTE = 15 clock hours per semester
    • Faculty teaching effort is based on a 15- week semester.
    • Faculty can renegotiate FTE distribution based on new developments.
    • Scholarship (in teaching, research, professional service) and teaching activities are all considered in total FTE.

3.1    FTE for classroom teaching

A classroom course is allotted 0.067 FTE per credit. Therefore, a 3- credit course is assigned as 0.20 FTE or 20% effort.

Total FTE allocated for a course will be divided among faculty based on percentage of course taught by each faculty.

3.1.1    Additional FTE may be assigned based on the following factors:

  1. Class size — for each additional section over 50 students, the course may receive up to 0.05 FTE per additional section. This is added to the course effort FTE and divided among all faculty teaching the course.
  2. Course coordinator role receives 0.05 FTE per course.
  3. Cross campus coordinator role may be one of the following and receives 0.025 FTE
    1. Courses taught across multiple campuses for example, accelerated, pathopharmacology.
    2. Coordinating course consistency (syllabus, exams, call meetings etc) for courses taught locally on individual campuses.
  4. Semester coordinator role receives.025 FTE.
  5. Teaching a course for the first time or development of a new course may receive additional .05 FTE. Mentoring of new faculty in the coordinator role may receive .025 FTE.
  6. Committee chair for PhD = 0.025 FTE per semester and final semester FTE = 0.05.
  7. Service as a dissertation committee member or chair on dissertations outside the CON will count toward service.
  8. DNP project advisor = 0.025 FTE per project group per semester.
  9. Committee members for PhD count as service.

Student advising is considered part of a faculty member’s service. Similarly, independent study courses are considered part of service because such courses do not meet the minimum class sizes for regular courses and are highly variable depending upon negotiated agreements between faculty and students. Faculty effort allocation may be negotiated if an independent study course results from providing a course needed by a small number of students to meet program requirements.

3.2    FTE for Clinical Teaching

3.2.1    FTE for face-to-face clinical supervision

FTE’s are assigned 0.10 FTE per credit hour for face-to-face clinical supervision. Thus, a 3-credit hour direct clinical supervision course would receive 30% or 0.3 FTE (180 clock hours). A single section in face-to-face clinical is considered to be a group of 8-10 students. Time spent in simulations and skills labs is included in the FTE allocated for the clinical. Health assessment lab clinical supervision is assigned 0.10 per credit hour for 14-16 students.

3.2.2    FTE for Dedicated Education Unit supervision

FTE’s are assigned at 0.10 per credit hour for DEU clinical supervision. Thus a 3- credit hour DEU clinical model would receive 30% or 0.30 FTE (180 clock hours). A single section is considered to be a group of 14-16 students.

3.2.3    FTE for preceptor clinical supervision

FTE are assigned at 0.10 FTE per 180 hours of precepted clinical hours. A single section is considered a group of 10 students at the undergraduate level.

For APRN clinical assignments, faculty effort is 0.10 per semester (60 clock hours per semester). A single section is considered to be a group of 6-8 students.

FTE allocations for clinical assignments include skills labs, course simulations, and Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs) for all programs.