A Pilot Faculty Fellows Pipeline Program: Developing Nurse Educators in South Carolina.

Background: Several regions across the United States, especially in the Southeast, are facing a critical nurse and nurse-faculty shortage.

Method: The College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina (USC) created the Nurse Faculty Fellow Pipeline Program (NFFPP) to increase the nursing faculty workforce. Additional faculty are needed to educate nurses to meet the state's needs.

Results: This pilot program provides a 1- to 2-year fellowship education for Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Philosophy students to become nursing faculty through intensive coaching, mentored teaching experiences, formal pedagogical training, and mentored scholarship development. The fellows are paid a competitive salary and receive health insurance to prepare 4 days a week for a future faculty role; fellows also receive a paid day per week for their doctoral studies.

Conclusion: In its second year, the program has been successful and is expected to assist in providing additional doctorally prepared nurse educators. .