Launching successful beginnings for early career faculty: Ten tips for new professors of recreational therapy

A number of previous authors have identified concerns about a shortage of future PhD graduates to assume recreational therapy (RT) faculty positions to educate future recreational therapists and contribute to the profession’s body of knowledge. While some recreational therapists have decided to pursue their terminal degrees and assume faculty positions, there is relatively little information to guide those transitioning from graduate student to new faculty member. Drawing upon the experiences of senior faculty reported in the literature as well as our own experiences, this article presents a series of tips to help those recreational therapists transitioning from practice to strategically navigate the beginning of new faculty careers. These tips cover careers across the spectrum of types of institutions of higher education.