Nursing Shortage Due to Lack of Faculty

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) conducted a survey that found that 80,407 qualified applicants were denied spots in the nation’s nursing schools. 

The reason?  The survey cited that it is due to difficulty in obtaining qualified faculty members.  Faculty salaries are much lower than those in clinical nursing practice and, therefore, many nursing schools are just unable to attract qualified faculty. 

The faculty shortage greatly contributes to the shortage of nurses for the simple reason that if there are not enough faculty members, fewer people can be educated and trained to become qualified nurses. 

The AACN also reported that the average salary for a masters-prepared faculty member is $57,454 and the average for an instructor with a doctorate degree is $120,377. 

However, according to a South Carolina news report, the average nurse with a master’s degree earns more than $100,000 while one with a doctorate can earn twice that amount! 

Unfortunately, the non-competitive salaries are the greatest reason why these nursing school faculty positions cannot be filled.  But it is not for lack of people who want to enter the nursing profession. 

Another contributory element to the nursing shortage is that nurses are leaving the profession due to problems in the nursing field. 

Check out the recently released Institute of Medicines (now National Academy of Medicine) Future of Nursing Report.    

What ideas might you have of what we can do to attract and retain qualified nursing faculty members to enhance the overall number of nurses? 

Please let me know your thoughts below.