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Nursing faculty--an endangered species?
1Department of Nursing, William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA.
Summary
The nursing faculty shortage is worsening, threatening nursing education and practice quality. Solutions involve increasing graduate education funding and support for faculty roles.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Healthcare Workforce Studies
Background:
- A significant nursing faculty shortage currently exists.
- This shortage is projected to worsen, posing serious risks to nursing education and practice.
- Potential consequences include enrollment limitations, faculty burnout, and diminished program quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify contributing factors to the nursing faculty shortage.
- To explore potential solutions to mitigate the shortage and its impact.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of factors contributing to the shortage.
- Exploration of proposed solutions for faculty recruitment and retention.
Main Results:
- Key contributing factors include an aging educator population, decreased interest in academia among graduate students, uncompetitive salaries, and increased opportunities in clinical practice.
- Proposed solutions encompass expanding graduate nursing education programs, securing federal funding, highlighting the benefits of faculty positions, diversifying recruitment pools, implementing mentorship programs, offering flexible assignments, and innovating clinical instruction.
Conclusions:
- Addressing the nursing faculty shortage requires multifaceted strategies.
- These strategies must focus on enhancing graduate education, improving faculty compensation and work-life balance, and promoting academic careers.