A 2022 article published in Medical Education Online titled "When Students' Words Hurt: 12 Tips for Helping Faculty Receive and Respond Constructively to Student Evaluations of Teaching" by Cornes and colleagues offers evidence-based guidance for exactly this moment. I'm breaking down their key recommendations here through the lens of NP faculty life, because this research is too good not to keep sharing.

If the word accreditation makes your shoulders creep toward your ears, you are not alone. For many NP faculty — especially those new to academia — accreditation can feel like an entirely separate world. One with its own language, its own rituals, and a seemingly endless appetite for documentation. This post breaks it down — plainly, practically, and without the committee-meeting energy.

Formative feedback is one of the most powerful tools NP educators and preceptors have — and yet, it is often the most underutilized. Graduate-level NP learners don’t simply need to be told whether something was done correctly or incorrectly. They need coaching and feedback rooted in adult learning principles that supports growth, reflection, clinical reasoning development, and confidence. But here’s what often gets overlooked: Formative feedback is not about final judgment