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AACN
Strengthens Online Resource to Address
the Nation’s Shortage of Nurse Educators
Faculty
CareerLink Highlights Opportunities in Nursing Education
WASHINGTON,
DC, March 4, 2004 – In response to the growing shortage
of nurse educators, the American Association of Colleges of
Nursing (AACN) has created an online resource to support nurses
considering full- or part-time teaching careers. Called Faculty
CareerLink, this information clearinghouse features a nurse
educator career profile, academic programs that prepare faculty,
financial aid opportunities, and links to faculty development
programs. This resource, found at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CareerLink,
also includes the most comprehensive list available of faculty
vacancies in U.S. nursing colleges and universities with more
than 250 teaching opportunities highlighted from 41 states,
the District of Columbia, Virgin Islands and Canada.
“Resolving
the shortage of registered nurses is not possible without
sufficient numbers of faculty to prepare the nursing workforce,”
said AACN President Kathleen Ann Long, PhD, APRN, FAAN. “AACN
created Faculty CareerLink to provide nurses with the information
needed to make decisions about teaching careers, explore education
options, and locate institutions seeking faculty.”
Recent
AACN data show that more than 11,000 applicants were turned
away from baccalaureate nursing programs last year due primarily
to a shortage of faculty. With the average age of doctorally-prepared
faculty currently 54.1 years, a wave of retirements is expected
within the next ten years. In fact, AACN projects that between
200 and 300 doctorally-prepared faculty will be eligible for
retirement each year from 2003 through 2012, and between 220-280
master's-prepared nurse faculty will be eligible for retirement
between 2012 and 2018.
“The
faculty retirement pattern, coupled with an insufficient number
of students enrolled in graduate nursing programs, presents
a tremendous challenge to nursing schools to increase or even
maintain student capacity,” added Dr. Long. “Employers
must remove barriers and encourage nurses to continue their
education to feed the pipeline of future faculty and ensure
the availability of nurses to provide direct patient care,”
added Dr. Long.
AACN expanded
Faculty CareerLink to support a national campaign launched
by Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow (NHT) to address the nurse
educator shortage. NHT, a coalition of 43 leading nursing
and health care organizations, is working to generate interest
in teaching careers through a public awareness campaign that
includes Internet-based resources found at www.nursesource.org;
four print advertisements and a flyer that may be downloaded
for free from the Web; and a national public relations campaign
coordinated by Hetrick Communications. Distribution of the
advertisements through formal and grassroots methods began
this month with major support from the campaign’s platinum
sponsor, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
“AACN
applauds the work of Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow and their
collaborative work to address the faculty shortage and ensure
a healthy future for the nursing profession,” said Dr.
Long.
AACN’s
Faculty CareerLink is online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CareerLink
and will be updated monthly.
The
American Association of Colleges of Nursing is the national
voice for university and four-year-college education programs
in nursing. Representing more than 580 member schools of nursing
at public and private institutions nationwide, AACN's educational,
research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications,
and other programs work to establish quality standards for
bachelor's- and graduate-degree nursing education, assist
deans and directors to implement those standards, influence
the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote
public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education,
research, and practice. Web site: http://www.aacn.nche.edu
# # #
CONTACT: Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
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