Inadequate nurse staffing is known to correlate with greater stress levels for nurses and increased patient mortality rates. And when a health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, the need for nurses becomes even more critical.
One of the key issues contributing to the current nursing shortage is the lack of graduate-prepared nurse educators. Boosting the number of nurse educators is critical to addressing the current and future nursing shortage, and the Master of Science in Nursing – Nursing Education Concentration online program is designed to address this need.
Why Is There a Need for More Nurse Educators?
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) identifies several factors contributing to the ongoing shortage of nurse educators. Some of these factors include:
- An aging workforce of nurse educators (with their average age being over 50 years)
- A large number of anticipated nurse educator and faculty retirements over the next decade
- Not enough candidates with the master’s and/or doctoral preparation required of potential nurse educators
- The pay differential of nurse educators versus nurses in clinical and private practice
What Is the Current Need for Nurse Educators?
The AACN report 2018-2019 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing states that, among other factors, “U.S. nursing schools turned away more than 75,000 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2018 due to insufficient number of faculty.”
The report also says, “Almost two-thirds of the nursing schools responding to the survey pointed to a shortage of faculty and/or clinical preceptors as a reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into their programs.”
So, while there are plenty of interested applicants for entry-to-practice nursing programs, nursing colleges and universities are unable to hire enough nurse educators to meet this demand.
Another factor contributing to the shortage is the doctoral preparation required by universities of academic nurse educators. This accounts for over half (56.6%) of all vacant nursing faculty positions in the U.S. in a 2018-2019 AACN report.
What Is Required to Become a Nurse Educator?
It takes a number of skills and traits to be effective in the role of nurse educator. Some important requirements for nurse educators include:
- Graduate-level preparation at the master’s and sometimes doctoral level, depending on the institution
- Good teaching skills, including the ability to lead clinical pre- and post-conferences, help students develop critical thinking, and perform different types of student evaluation
- The ability to teach assessment skills to nursing students and evaluate learning outcomes
- Nursing expertise and nursing competence to effectively work with clinical nursing and hospital staff, students, families and patients while prioritizing patient safety
- Excellent communication skills when working with students, other nursing faculty, healthcare providers in the clinical setting, patients, families and others
- The ability to use various types of technology both in and outside the classroom and clinical setting
- Good interpersonal skills when serving on committees, performing research, and functioning as a faculty member
- Passion for the nursing profession
The shortage of nurse educators — resulting in a corresponding scarcity of practicing clinical nurses — continues to grow. Contributing factors include an aging workforce, nursing faculty retirements, graduate schools’ inability to provide enough nurse educators, and the pay gap for nurse educators compared to nurses in other positions.
Given the already strained healthcare system, it is crucial to address the shortage of nurse educators to maintain patient safety and quality of care.
Learn more about NKU’s Master of Science in Nursing – Nursing Education Concentration online program.
Sources:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing: Nursing Faculty Shortage Fact Sheet
American Association of Colleges of Nursing: Nursing Shortage
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: COVID-19 – Frequently Asked Questions
Lippincott Nursing Center: Eight Traits Make Great Nursing Instructors
