Red Alert

Nursing faculty shortage worsens in SREB states

Who will teach beginning and advanced nurses in SREB states and the District of Columbia? The results of a May 2001 survey document the critical situation facing nursing education programs at all levels in this region. In May 2001, the SREB Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing mailed a survey to 491 institutions that, collectively, offer 660 nursing programs in the 16 SREB states and the District of Columbia. The 56 percent return rate indicates that the results are representative of the programs in this region.

Linda C. Hodges, Ed.D., president of the SREB Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing, says that the survey reveals a bleak picture about the supply of nurse educators and projections for the future. The projections include resignations, retirements and a smaller pool of graduates prepared to be nurse educators.

This projected shortage of nurse educators threatens the region’s capacity to ensure the health of its residents.

• At the beginning of the 2000-2001 academic year, 4,644 nurse educators were employed full time and 1,678 part time.

• Most of the full- and part-time nurse educators had master’s degrees in nursing.

• Of 16 specialty areas, most of the nurse educators were prepared in adult care (1,129), acute care (542) or community health (383); few were prepared in rural health (40), public health (67), gerontology (168) or nursing education (172).

• The resignations reported for the 2000-2001 academic year and projected for the next two years total 558. The totals for four states exceed 50: Texas (105), North Carolina (73), Tennessee (62) and Florida (56).

• Of the 350 resignations in the 2000-2001 academic year, 249 nurse educators held master’s degrees and 72 held doctorates.

• The most common reasons for resigning were family responsibilities and salaries. Some who resigned continued to work in another academic setting (75) or clinical setting (76).

• During the 2000-2001 academic year 144 nurse educators retired — 55 with doctorates and 89 with master’s degrees.

• Projections for 2002-2006 indicate that 784 nurse educators expect to retire. Projections in seven SREB states exceed 50: Texas (133), Florida (84), North Carolina (79), Mississippi (73), Virginia (73), Georgia (71) and Alabama (59).

• Unfilled faculty positions for the 2000-2001 academic year totaled 306 full time and 126 part time. The numbers of unfilled full-time positions in six states exceeded 25: Texas (58), Tennessee (35), Georgia (34), Florida (32), Alabama (31) and North Carolina (28).

• While 51 master’s and 16 doctoral programs offered majors, minors, tracks or options in the nurse educator role, only 8 percent of 2,837 graduates in 2001 were prepared to be nurse educators.

• Eighty-six institutions did not have enough faculty for the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, including 17 institutions in Texas, 10 in North Carolina and 12 in Florida.

• Recruiting nurse educators at 174 institutions will be more difficult beginning in 2002 because there are not enough candidates.

These findings mirror concerns and issues nationwide. Without enough well-prepared nurse educators to teach and recruit at all levels, this region cannot ensure the health of its residents. The regional study documents the need for innovative strategies to increase the number of well-prepared faculty. Such actions include allocation of funds to prepare more students to be nurse educators and to retain current nurse educators.

President Hodges will preside over a discussion of the survey results and strategies to alleviate problems at the February 2002 meeting of the SREB Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing. The council builds upon more than a 50-year legacy of promoting faculty development activities to strengthen nursing education in 16 SREB states and the District of Columbia.

For further information, contact Eula Aiken, eula.aiken@sreb.org.