Date of Award
8-2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Secondary Education and Educational Leadership
First Advisor
Marigold Hudock-Lim, PhD
Second Advisor
Sara Bishop, PhD
Third Advisor
Sharon Rice, EdD
Fourth Advisor
Maria Betancourt-Smith, PhD
Abstract
This narrative inquiry, qualitative study explored the retirement decision-making process of nursing faculty at public, four-year institutions who were within five years of retirement. Through purposive sampling, 11 participants across eight institutions consented to participate and were interviewed via Zoom. Due to the nursing faculty shortage, the researcher hypothesized that nursing faculty nearing retirement may be retiring not only as a natural progression of their career but also because of factors that lead other early and mid-career faculty members to leave academia. Through thematic analysis, four themes emerged: Finding Meaning and Fulfillment in the Nurse Faculty Role, Institutional Factors Shaping Retirement Decisions, Navigating Aging Across the Career Lifespan, and Practical and Emotional Dimensions of Retirement Transition. While some participants planned to retire due to the natural progression of their careers, many cited factors causing job dissatisfaction as reasons for retiring. An interesting phenomenon was discovered: Within each subtheme, participants described tensions between job demands and job resources, with some participants citing institutional factors as reasons to consider retirement and others as reasons to remain in academia. Participants also described feeling pulled between competing personal desires as they contemplated retirement. Universities that integrate modified roles, intergenerational mentorship, mindful change, professional involvement, age inclusivity, mindful succession planning, and work flexibilities into these public, four-year institutions may change the experience for nursing faculty nearing retirement and may retain them until it truly is the natural progression of their career that beckons them into retirement.
Repository Citation
Hunt, Shelley, "The Tension of Retention and Retirement: A Narrative Study of Full-Time Nursing Faculty Within Five Years of Retirement at Public, Four-Year Institutions in Texas" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 680.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/680
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