Funding in higher education: where does nursing fit?

Area of Science:

• Higher Education Administration
• Nursing Education Finance

Background:

• Traditional higher education funding formulas are ill-suited for clinical disciplines like nursing.
• Current models fail to recognize the substantial costs and complexities of nursing clinical education, including patient safety and liability.
• There is a significant lack of recent nursing literature and benchmark data on educational funding issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the inadequacy of existing resource allocation systems for nursing education.
• To underscore the need for nursing administrators to understand higher education finance.
• To advocate for nursing education leaders to actively engage in budget processes and educate stakeholders.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of existing resource allocation systems in higher education.
• Review of nursing literature concerning funding over the past decade.
• Identification of data gaps for nursing program administrators.

Main Results:

• Existing funding models do not adequately address the specific financial requirements of nursing education, particularly clinical components.
• Limited data and benchmarks are available for nursing program administrators regarding financial management.
• A gap exists in the understanding and communication of nursing education's financial needs among university administrators and legislators.

Conclusions:

• Nursing education requires specialized funding considerations due to its clinical demands.
• Nursing administrators and leaders must enhance their financial literacy and actively participate in budget advocacy.
• Educating university administrators and state legislatures about the unique financial needs of nursing education is crucial for equitable resource allocation.