Nursing schools struggle with severe faculty shortage

Sept. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Tens of thousands of qualified nursing school applicants have been turned away this year because nursing schools can’t fill vacant faculty positions.

“The struggle to fill ranks goes on everywhere,” said Linfield College nursing professor Laura Rodgers. “Many schools don’t know until a week before classes whether they will have enough faculty.”

Less than one percent of all nurses have a doctoral degree, with good reason. After taking on graduate school debt, nursing professors with doctoral degrees work longer hours and typically make less money than nurses with bachelor’s degrees.

“The faculty shortage is compounded by the fact that nurse educators enter the teaching profession later in life and retire earlier, leaving a small cohort of graying professors to train new nurses,” she said. “Many are slated to retire soon.”

We can address this looming crisis if we act now, Rodgers said, but it will require public support. “The health care nurses provide is less costly and leads to better patient outcomes, lower mortality rates and higher patient satisfaction. We have to change the way we value nursing educators.”


American Association of Colleges of Nursing Report

www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/FacultyShortage.htm

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