The current need for nurse faculty has left nursing students, instructors, and schools stretched thin. So, now more than ever, it’s crucial to create and implement strategies to grow this vital part of the nursing profession.
When Susan Bindon, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, CNE, CNE-cl, FAAN, explained the need for nurse educators, her description was succinct.
“In a word — critical,” said Bindon, an associate professor and assistant dean for faculty development at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. But that’s not the only word Bindon used to describe the current state of the national nursing education landscape.
“Ongoing. Pervasive. Persistent. Alarming. Looming,” she said.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) echoed that language. Its Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions for Academic Year 2022-2023 reported that 8.8% of the nation’s full-time nurse faculty positions are vacant — nearly a full point higher than the previous year (8%).
The survey also said that 2,166 full-time vacancies exist nationally, which averages to 2.4 vacancies per school. And nearly 62% of the 909 schools surveyed had vacant full-time positions.
“It definitely gets your attention,” Bindon said. “The nursing shortage has always gotten attention, but the faculty shortage much less so. People are realizing how directly connected they are.”
Full-time positions for nurse educators aren’t the only ones sitting vacant, however.
“This survey focuses solely on full-time faculty positions, and we know that many part-time faculty positions are also currently open,” said Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, President, and CEO of the AACN.
The impact is not only being felt for those in nursing education positions but also at hospitals and health systems across the country. Despite the concerning numbers, efforts are underway on many fronts to find and implement solutions.
“As dire as it is, it’s also an opportunity,” Bindon said.
Two shortages, one common problem
Deborah Trautman, RN
At a time when more growth is essential in the nursing workforce, the need for nurse educators has had an impact on nursing students in a variety of ways. The AACN said in its 2021–2022 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing report that 91,938 qualified applications to U.S. nursing schools were turned away in 2021.
The causes included insufficient numbers of nurse faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. The majority of respondents to the AACN enrollment and graduations survey said that the lack of nurse educators was the top reason for not accepting qualified applicants into their nursing programs.
“We can’t produce enough nurses because we don’t have enough faculty,” Bindon said. “In my world, I think, ‘Oh my gosh, some of those folks we turn away are potential nurse educators.’”
Educator roles also include those who are orienting new graduates into clinical settings, according to Bindon.
“Fewer faculty mean maybe the (clinical) groups are bigger,” she said. “The trouble there is that some of those sites can’t really handle the groups being bigger, so we’ve had to be creative in engaging some of the clinical partners to serve as clinical …read more
Read full article here: nurse.com
