Strengthening educators worldwide: Cultivating resilience through faculty engagement in Vietnam

Title : Strengthening educators worldwide: Cultivating resilience through faculty engagement in Vietnam

Abstract:

Background: Nurse educators working in global and resource-limited environments often face increased workload demands, curricular complexity, and the emotional labor of supporting diverse learners. These pressures can influence well-being, professional identity, and resilience. Recent scholarship emphasizes that resilience is a dynamic process shaped by individual strengths and contextual support systems, including mentoring, reflective practice, and collaborative learning structures (Tsui, 2023; Kirwan, 2025). International faculty development experiences also deepen cultural competence and strengthen resilience among instructors and students (Aryuwat et al., 2025). Mentoring supports role transition, identity formation, and confidence among faculty (Orth & Evanson, 2023), while resilience-focused strategies enhance well-being and retention (RothackerPeyton et al., 2022). These frameworks informed the design of a cross-cultural teaching collaboration between Baylor University faculty and PhD nursing students at Nam Dinh University of Nursing in Vietnam.
Methods: A two-week teaching immersion was implemented using resilience-focused professional development. Daily seminars emphasized nursing theory, concept development, scholarly writing, and reflective pedagogy. Small group mentoring circles supported identity formation and normalized challenges associated with doctoral study and academic transitions. Participants engaged in reflective journaling and resiliencebuilding exercises. Collaborative lesson planning and co-teaching promoted shared learning, cross-cultural dialogue, and enhanced pedagogical confidence.
Outcomes: Participants reported increased confidence in applying nursing theory, greater clarity in their academic roles, and improved resilience in managing scholarly expectations. Participants shared that they felt more grounded in their professional identity, better equipped with coping strategies, and reconnected to their sense of purpose, key indicators of growing resilience. Faculty identified mentoring circles, collaborative dialogue, and reflective practices as the most impactful components. Overall, this international partnership functioned as both a pedagogical development model and a resilience-building intervention supporting nursing education capacity in Vietnam.

Biography:

Andrea Archer, DNP, RN, CNE has enjoyed an 18-year career in nursing education. Before joining the Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) at Baylor University, Dr. Archer taught at a small Catholic university in the Midwest. Prior to transitioning fully into academia, she practiced as an acute care nurse practitioner and hospitalist, specializing in cardiac critical care. Faculty development remains one of Dr. Archer’s greatest passions. After earning her CNE credential in 2016 and renewing it in 2021, she became increasingly dedicated to supporting colleagues in their own certification journeys. This commitment inspired the creation of the PREPARE CNE® program an intentional, structured initiative designed to guide faculty through certification preparation while integrating mentoring, reflective practice, and resilience-building strategies. At LHSON, Dr. Archer teaches in the DABSN program and contributes to multiple committees and academic projects. She is also deeply engaged in global nursing education through ongoing collaborative teaching initiatives in Vietnam, where she supports doctoral students and faculty development. When she is not teaching, Dr. Archer enjoys time with her husband, two children, and two beloved dogs.