I want it all and I want it now. Challenging the traditional nursing academic paradigm

A recent Twitter chat facilitated by the @NurseEducToday social media team provoked a particularly strong reaction among a range of contributors. The focus of the discussion – expectations of the nurse academic – resulted in a high level of engagement from several participants who clearly held strong views, which were surprisingly polarised. Here we explore aspects of this polarization; and what it might mean for nurses working in academia. Our aim is to reflect on what this dialogue might tell us about current thinking in the profession, specifically around how nurse academics see themselves, what they expect from self and others, and what they are prepared to do to meet these, often, self-generated expectations. This is a very important discussion, particularly in view of critical shortages and international concerns about the sustainability of the academic nursing workforce (McDermid et al., 2018). Although not unique, nurse academics are often very different from their colleagues in other disciplines. Where others enter academia usually at a younger age and most often with a doctoral level qualification; in many parts of the world, the traditional route into nurse education is a form of ‘apprenticeship’ that encourages and values significant clinical experience, often gained over many years that then provides a route into the university.