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Campaign spotlights need for nurse educators

Nurse Leader Weekly, March 15, 2004

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With a shortage of nurse educators causing some nursing schools to turn away prospective students, a new national advertising campaign aims to boost the number of teachers in nursing schools and universities.

Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow (NHT), a coalition of 43 nursing and other healthcare organizations, is running four print ads in major nursing journals and magazines to help highlight the need for more nurse educators. The coalition includes the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American Organization of Nurse Executives, an AHA subsidiary.

U.S. nursing schools turned away more than 11,000 qualified applicants in 2003, up significantly from 5,000 applicants in 2002, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Nearly two-thirds of the survey's respondents pointed to faculty shortages as a reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into entry-level baccalaureate programs. A study by the Southern Regional Board of Education cited a serious shortage of educators in 16 southern states and the District of Columbia.

"We cannot afford to have colleges and universities deny nurse education to students who want to enter the profession simply because we don't have enough teachers," said Ada Sue Hinshaw, dean and professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

An earlier NHT campaign to attract students to the nursing profession was very successful, coalition members said. But more educators are needed to balance the growing demand for nurse courses. That's why NHT has unveiled the new campaign, "Nursing education . . . pass it on."

"You can't glut the system with students and not increase the faculty," said Pam Thompson, CEO of AONE, and a member of NHT's steering advisory committee. "This campaign recognized that we've done a fairly successful job of recruiting in the nursing profession."

However, Thompson said, NHT's success in getting students interested in nursing has put a spotlight on the dearth of nurse educators. There have been reports of faculty shortages causing nursing students to drop courses or miss entire semesters, she said.

An insufficient supply of nurse educators, an aging nursing workforce, a growing number of Baby Boomers who are retiring and placing high demands on medical services, and an inadequate number of younger nurses coming up to fill the employment gaps are contributing to the nation's serious nursing shortage. Data suggests the nation could see a shortage of between 400,000 to 600,000 nurses by 2010.

For more on NHT's campaign, "Nursing education . . . pass it on" and the national nursing shortage, visit http://www.aha.org under "Workforce Shortage" or go to http://www.nursesource.org.

This article 1st appeared in the March 8, 2004 issue of AHA News

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