Abstract
AIM: This review aimed to assess the evidence of benefit from Nurses and Midwives' Clinical Academic (NMCA) appointments and establish the value of their contribution to the key stakeholders: patients, the individual joint appointees, academic institutions and health and social care organisations. BACKGROUND: Jointly appointed clinical academic posts for nurses and midwives are rare, making up less than 0.1% of the workforce in the UK. DESIGN: A scoping review. METHODS: Conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Methodology for Scoping Reviews. DATA SOURCES: ProQuest, SCOPUS, MEDLINE Ovid, CINAHL Ultimate and British Library EThOS were searched for English-language publications from January 2013 to December 2023. RESULTS: Thirteen papers met the inclusion criteria. Key themes were the introduction of effective care guidelines and interventions, shared decision-making in care and research, individual professional growth and development, motivation and job satisfaction, improved clinical-academic partnerships and research advancement. CONCLUSION: There is emerging evidence of significant benefits from clinical academic posts in nursing and midwifery; studies have generally been qualitative, focusing less on quantitative approaches. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: This study demonstrates potential benefits to both the nursing/midwifery profession and patients, particularly regarding the generation of new knowledge and provision of quality care.