Faculty Shortages In The Nursing Industry

Registered nurses are trained to care for patientsa nurse can become a nurse anesthetist, a
while also assessing medical conditions, andmidwife, or a nurse practitioner and make a larger
administering treatment and medications. Theysalary and be in heavy demand. Even nursing
are employed in hospitals, physician's offices, longfaculty positions that require only a masters
term care facilities and as home health aides.program must compete with the lucrative
Nurses are becoming an increasingly importantpositions available in the private sector. Nursing
part of the healthcare system due to rising costsspecialists are widely used in many communities
and growing demand. With the increasing need forto provide care for those without access to a
nurses in the coming decades, it seems that thephysician. These nurses are RNs, with their
United States cannot produce enough nurses to fillbachelor and masters degree. As a certified nurse
the supply.practitioner, the nurse has a great deal of
Healthcare careers are the fastest growingautonomy in her practice and is well compensated.
occupation in the country, and nursing tops theBecause of the specialized nature of the degree,
charts as the fastest growing occupation withinnurses that wish to receive their doctorate must
the healthcare field. Why, then, are prospectiveoften leave the area where they are and move
nursing students being turned away from nursingto a more urban area. At the completion of their
schools? In the last year that statistics weretraining, they often do not return. Many of the
available, it was estimated that nearly 16,000nurses that complete a doctorate program, as
students who were qualified to attend a nursingmany as one-fourth, state at graduation that they
program were turned away. One reason for thehave no plans to work in academics, and head
shortage of registered nurses is the lack ofstraight to the clinical setting.
faculty to instruct and train prospective nursingIn the past, nursing instructors received a more
students. With a vacancy rate over 8 1/2% andcompetitive salary, but as the demand for nurses
rising, the faculty shortage limits the number ofhas increased in the private sector, their salaries
students who can become nurses.have quickly outpaced the salaries of those in
Faculty shortages are not the only reason thateducation. Now, as more nursing instructors reach
prospective students are turned away fromretirement age, there is no one to fill their
nursing schools. Budget constraints have limitedpositions. Often nurses who have spent their
school's abilities to update classrooms and labentire careers in the educational setting enter the
equipment. There is a shortage of clinicalclinical setting to raise their income before
opportunities for students in many areas. Whileretirement age.
the state and federal government have takenWhat can be done?
aggressive steps to recruit nurses in advance ofThe shortage of nursing faculty is a well
the growing need, with tuition help anddocumented and studied problem. With the
improvement of working conditions, their effortsdemand for nurses increasing rapidly, it is
are stymied by the inability of colleges to meetimportant to find a way to increase the number
the demands of a growing healthcare crunch.of nurses who can be trained. Some plans are in
Lack of faculty is a main factor in nursingplace to help remedy the nursing shortage. Federal
shortagefunds are being used for faculty development
In what is probably the biggest determining factorprograms and to collect data on faculty vacancy
in how many students are accepted by a school,rates.
there are simply not enough nurses teaching atApproaching retirement
the college level. While some nursing classes, suchWith many nursing instructors reaching retirement
as core mathematics and chemistry classes doage, the problem of nursing faculty shortages is
not require a nurse, others do. In fact, a certainnot expected to go away. The problem creates a
percentage of the positions requiring a nursevicious cycle, with a growing demand for nurses in
require that the nurse have a doctorate degree.the clinical setting raising salaries and benefits. This
In contrast, the number of nurses who aredraws even more nurses out of the academic
seeking their doctorate degree is relatively small.setting. The shortage of faculty leads to a
It is estimated that many of the unfilled facultydecrease in the number of students who are
positions are those that require doctoral education.accepted into nursing programs. Again, this
Why the shortage of nurses with doctoratecreates a greater shortage. It is estimated that
degrees? While receiving your doctorate in anythe nursing shortage, in the clinical setting only, will
field is an accomplishment, it is a simple fact thatgrow by 6% a year.