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Abstract AIM The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical framework that describes the mentoring process from the perspectives of novice nurse faculty. BACKGROUND Additional nurse faculty are needed to help combat the nurse faculty shortage, but many who enter the faculty role come from professional and educational backgrounds that may not equate to success with the tripartite faculty role. Mentoring is promoted as an intervention for career development. Little is known about the process of mentoring relationships and the transition among novice nurse faculty into academia. METHOD Grounded theory was used to interview full-time novice nurse faculty (N = 21) with three years or less in the faculty role from US nursing programs. RESULTS The theoretical framework Creating Mentorship Pathways to Navigate Academia captures the process of mentoring as experienced by novice nurse faculty. CONCLUSION Participants created mentorship pathways to navigate academia by acquiring knowledge, meeting expectations, and functioning in the faculty role.