AACN Pleased that Funding
for Nursing Education is Preserved in the
President’s FY 2006 Budget Request
Elimination of Some Health
Profession Programs May Limit Access to Care
WASHINGTON, DC, February 8, 2005 - Today,
the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
announced its support for the $150 million in funding
for nursing education included in President Bush’s
FY 2006 budget proposal. Though the president called for
the elimination of other programs that prepare health
professionals, funding for nursing was requested at the
current level for Nursing Workforce Development programs
(Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act). AACN is
concerned, however, that the elimination of the other
health professions education programs (Title VII) will
severely limit access to health care for underserved populations.
“In a year when many education and
health care programs are targeted for elimination, we
are pleased to see the president maintaining a focus on
addressing the nursing shortage and supporting the nursing
workforce,” said AACN President Jean Bartels, PhD,
RN. “With three out of every four vacancies in hospitals
today calling for registered nurses, it is crucial that
Congress preserve, and preferably increase, funding for
programs that bring new nurses into the profession and
prepare current nurses for advanced clinical, teaching
and research roles.”
Though funding for nursing would be maintained,
AACN is concerned that the Nurse Faculty Loan Program
is still not adequately funded. This loan repayment program
was created through the Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002
to increase the supply of nurse educators. According to
AACN’s latest data, 32,797 qualified students were
turned away from baccalaureate and graduate level nursing
programs last year due primarily to insufficient numbers
of faculty. Over 75 percent of schools surveyed cited
the faculty shortage as the primary barrier to increasing
enrollment.
“At a time when nursing schools are
being pressed to produce more graduates while maintaining
quality standards, turning away qualified applicants is
unthinkable given this nation’s health care needs,”
added Dr. Bartels. “Legislators must make funding
graduate level nursing education a top priority to alleviate
the dire need for educators to prepare nurses at all levels.”
AACN is disappointed to see only slight increases or funding
cuts for agencies and programs focused on improving patient
safety and maintaining access to care. The FY 2006 budget
request includes essentially level funding for both the
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), two
agencies focused on improving health care quality and
patient outcomes. The new budget proposal also calls for
a 3 percent decrease in funding for the National Health
Services Corps which provides scholarships for health
care providers who agree to work in underserved rural
and urban areas.
Further, the President’s proposed elimination of
programs that support the other health professions, including
medicine and allied health, will further limit the availability
of health care providers. “AACN is shocked to see
dramatic cuts to programs that support the health care
workforce and is concerned that this action will diminish
access to care and deny services to vulnerable populations,”
said Dr. Bartels.
Specific funding levels for nursing education
programs that were proposed in the President’s FY
2006 budget are listed on AACN’s Web site at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/pdf/FY2006Chart.pdf.
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.
CONTACT: Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
