​The Faculty Academy and Mentoring Initiative of Maryland (FAMI-MD) began as the Eastern Shore Faculty Academy and Mentoring Initiative (ES-FAMI) in 2011. Nurses who participate in FAMI-MD will complete a six-week long Academy, consisting of online instruction with synchronous sessions via videoconference (Zoom) and receive 40 contact hours. The newly prepared clinical instructor becomes part of a cadre of eligible instructors with expectations that they will accept a teaching position as a clinical instructor when called upon by a Maryland department or school of nursing. FAMI-MD graduates teach at all 28 accredited nursing programs in Maryland, and the academies are facilitated by faculty from different nursing schools and programs in Maryland.

FAMI-MD offers two curricula: Introductory Academy (Intro-FAMI) that provides a foundation for new educators and an Advanced Academy (Advanced-FAMI) that explores learning theories, learning strategies, assessment and evaluation, and professional advancement.

In 2011 FAMI-MD identified a key gap in the lack of available qualified nursing faculty, especially those from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds. To address this issue, FAMI-MD offered academies in Salisbury with partnership from Chesapeake College and Wor-Wic Community College. Additional objectives of FAMI-MD are the recruitment of clinical experts in high demand specialties (maternal/newborn, pediatrics, mental health, and community health) and encouragement of FAMI-MD graduates to further their education and certification. FAMI-MD also has the ongoing support of many clinical partners including Atlantic General Hospital, Tidal Health, University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, and Mercy Medical Center, among others.

In 2018, FAMI-MD expanded to two other geographic locations in Maryland, creating the satellite locations FAMI-Central and FAMI-West. FAMI-Central was offered at Towson University in partnership with Towson University, and FAMI-West was offered in Hagerstown in partnership with Allegany Community College, Frostburg State University, and Hood College.
In 2020 ESFAMI was rebranded to FAMI-MD to better represent the diverse geographic locations and began offering academies in a completely virtual environment. FAMI-MD will increase the number of academies offered yearly, grow our practice, collegiate, and university partners, and expand curricular offerings to include an Introductory and Advanced FAMI Academies. Through these expansion efforts, all of Maryland is represented by FAMI-MD and participants completing the program represent nurses from across the state. Completion of an Academy increases the skill set of hospital nurses as preceptors for new hires, or when teaching patients and families.

What Academy Participants Will Learn

Intro-FAMI attendees learn about what is expected of clinical faculty, how to design and manage experiences in a clinical setting, and principles of evaluating student performance and providing feedback.

Specific outcomes include the ability to:

• Apply the principles of teaching/learning to various types of student learners in the clinical setting.
• Participate in on line discussions regarding aspects of teaching in the clinical setting and complete projects which involve on line activities.
• Describe the role of the part-time clinical educator in the clinical setting.
• Structure learning experiences in a clinical setting, as well as, devise an alternative plan for student clinical experience should the need arise.
• Plan and implement valuable pre-clinical and post-clinical experiences and conferences.
• Provide constructive feedback to nursing students in a clinical setting.
• Implement strategies to manage challenging students in a clinical setting.
• Participate in discussion groups about their teaching experiences during mentorship workshops.
• Participate in high fidelity simulated patient care experiences and assess performance of both students and faculty in the simulated setting.
• Discuss potential legal implications of role as a clinical educator.
• Integrate current evidence into clinical teaching practice.

Advanced-FAMI attendees will learn how to:

1. Apply key elements of nursing and academic regulations and laws to the clinical educator role.
2. Synthesize perspectives from various learning theories to formulate strategies to reach today's learners.
3. Develop effective teaching strategies to address learning in the affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains.
4. Formulate goals and strategies that promote active and engaged learning in face-face and online settings.
5. Explain strategies that can be used to foster student success related to inclusivity, recognizing limitations, and providing development opportunities.
6. Differentiate clinical objectives from student learning outcomes and connect clinical objectives with learning strategies.
7. Integrate synchronous and asynchronous strategies to support the teaching-learning process in an online environment.
8. 8. Demonstrate skill in the use of best practices in the assessment and evaluation of clinical performance.
9. 9. Explore aspects of professional development as a faculty member including certifications, advanced degrees, and other activities.

Interested in FAMI-MD?
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Ready to apply for Intro-FAMI? Visit the FAMI-MD Online Application