Nursing and academic mergers of the health sciences: a critique

This article explores the current trend in which the discipline of nursing and other health sciences are merged within a single academic unit in higher education. To date little has been written in the professional literature about the institutions that have engaged in these types of "mergers," even though they appear to be increasing in occurrence. Since these realignments have the potential to affect the continuing development of academic nursing, attention from the nursing community is warranted. A description of unique dimensions of academic mergers is presented with attention to faculty governance, academic freedom, and tenure. The frame of reference for the exploration uses the goals and expectations from realignments that have been extrapolated from the business literature and reports from health care organizations that have merged. Specifically, academic mergers are presumed to accomplish the following goals: 1. Foster shared resources in terms of faculty talents and content expertise. 2. Consolidate a campus approach to clinical education programming. 3. Increase opportunities for interdisciplinary health professions education. 4. Create a unified and integrated approach to development activities. 5. Coordinate efforts to provide sufficient space for the health sciences. Directions for future exploration and some recommendations for schools of nursing in the throes of merger efforts are offered.