Nursing science at Mayo Clinic: An alternative model to traditional hospital-based nurse scientist positions

• Published in: Nursing outlook 2024-07, Vol.72 (4), p.102187, Article 102187
• Main Authors: Tofthagen, Cindy, Umberfield, Elizabeth E., Al-Saleh, Stacy A., Conley, Samantha, Lindroth, Heidi L., Chlan, Linda L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic medical centers; Clinical nursing research; Empirical research; Nursing research
• ISSN: 0029-6554; 1528-3968; 1528-3968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102187

The role of the Nurse Scientist in clinical settings represents a relatively new career path that has garnered attention in recent literature. Although there is considerable variability in how this role is operationalized across institutions, Mayo Clinic stands out as one of the few health systems in the United States employing nurse scientists who are fully and exclusively engaged in their own programs of research. Given the need for practical information to guide development and implementation of a research-focused nurse scientist role, the purpose of this paper is to describe the infrastructure and resources supporting Mayo Clinic nurse scientists, share role expectations and metrics for success, discuss both the facilitators of success and ongoing challenges, and compare our current practices to those found in the literature. •This article describes a model for the nurse scientist role in a clinical setting.•The focus is on building and maintaining an extramurally funded program of research.•We discuss the resources and infrastructure that support the model.•This article may inform future development of future nursing research programs.