The Coach–Player Relationship: A Conceptual Coaching Model to Support the Transition of New Nursing Faculty into Higher Education

Background: The global shortage of qualified nursing faculty continues to challenge schools of nursing by limiting program capacity and contributing to difficulties in recruiting and retaining new educators. Although mentoring has been widely recognized as an effective strategy for supporting novice faculty, comparatively little attention has been devoted to coaching as an intentional approach for facilitating the transition from clinical practice to academia. Aim: To describe the development of the Coach–Player Relationship Framework, a conceptual coaching framework designed to support the successful transition, confidence, and retention of new nursing faculty in higher education. Methodology: The Coach–Player Relationship Framework was developed through a conceptual model development process informed by a structured literature synthesis, the Growing Together mentoring framework, and reflective analysis of a shared faculty coaching experience involving two nursing educators teaching multiple sections of an undergraduate nursing course. Literature, theory, and practical experience were integrated to construct a coaching framework that translates mentoring principles into an operational faculty development strategy. Results: The resulting framework identifies three foundational elements—clear expectations, willingness to serve, and balance—that underpin successful coaching relationships between experienced and novice faculty. These principles are operationalized through the Coach–Player Model, which illustrates how reciprocal coaching interactions evolve across the Field of Play, Sidelines, End Zones, and Red Zones to foster instructional confidence, collaborative learning, and progressive professional independence. Conclusions: The Coach–Player Relationship Framework extends existing mentoring theory by providing a coaching-oriented approach to faculty transition into higher education. The framework offers nursing programs a practical strategy for onboarding novice educators while promoting collaboration, reflective practice, instructional confidence, and faculty retention. Future empirical investigation is needed to evaluate the framework across diverse educational settings and determine its effectiveness in improving faculty development outcomes.