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NURSING FACULTY SALARIES POST CONTINUED INCREASES, AACN SURVEY SHOWS

Mostly Modest Gains, However, Come As Many Schools Work to Stem Faculty Shortages

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 8, 1999 -- Doctorally prepared professors at nursing schools at the nation's universities and four-year colleges are earning an average of $66,132 in the current 1998-99 academic year, up 2.7 percent above a year ago, according to the latest salary survey by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Virtually all ranks of full-time faculty realized salary gains this academic year, ranging from an increase of 9.7 percent (to $62,959) for nondoctorally prepared professors to a gain of 2.6 percent (to $45,220) for nondoctorally prepared associate professors. Doctorally prepared instructors saw essentially no increase, up 0.5 percent (to $42,240).

For all full-time faculty, salaries this academic year range from a low of $16,102 for an instructor without a doctoral degree in a private secular school to a high of $145,448 for a doctorally prepared professor in a public institution.

"At this crucial juncture when intensifying demand for professional nursing care is coming amid reports of growing shortages of nursing faculty, the continued upward climb in educators' salaries -- though only modest -- is welcome news," says AACN President Andrea R. Lindell, DNSc, RN. "Nevertheless, still higher gains are needed for academic and research careers to be competitive against the attractive salaries of clinical settings, and to help reverse the shortfalls in available faculty that already are preventing enrollments from expanding at many institutions."

The survey, conducted in fall 1998, is AACN's 21st annual report of salaries for full-time nursing faculty and is based on responses from 534 (80.3 percent) of the nation's nursing schools with baccalaureate and graduate programs. The report provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date salary data available both for full-time instructional and administrative faculty members who are nurses. Non-nurse faculty are not included. The survey also reports earnings for full-time faculty who are certified as nurse practitioners (NP).

For Some Faculty, Doctorates Bring Higher Salaries But Lower Annual Gain

Regardless of rank, full-time faculty who hold doctoral degrees are realizing higher earnings than nondoctorally prepared counterparts, the AACN survey found. However, nondoctorally prepared professors and instructors (the latter up by 3.2 percent, to $37,961) saw higher annual salary increases than similar faculty with doctorates. In addition, nurse practitioners without doctoral degrees who are full-time professors in NP programs are earning an average of $69,921 in the current academic year, compared to $64,116 for counterparts who hold doctorates.

"The higher earnings for faculty nurse practitioners who do not hold doctorates are a sign of the heightened competition to attract NPs -- most of whom are master's-prepared -- from higher-paying clinical sites and into critically needed teaching roles," Dr. Lindell explains.

Public Institutions Report Highest Increases

While doctorally prepared faculty earned their highest average salaries at private secular schools, their largest annual increases were granted at public institutions. Average earnings for doctorally prepared professors rose by 3.2 percent, to $67,171, at public schools, compared to increases of 2.5 percent (to $57,924) at private religious institutions and 1.8 percent (to $71,234) at private secular institutions. Similarly, associate professors with doctoral degrees saw an average salary gain of 4 percent (to $55,367) at public institutions, compared to increases of 3.6 percent (to $56,733) at private secular schools and 2.8 percent (to $50,970) at private religious institutions. Doctorally prepared instructors, however, realized an average salary loss of 3.6 percent (to $42,683) at private secular schools and a gain of 3.7 percent (to $41,993) at public institutions.

Average earnings for full-time instructional faculty with doctoral degrees ranged this academic year from $26,000 for an instructor in a public institution to $138,175 for a professor in a private secular school. Salaries for faculty without doctorates ranged from $16,102 for an instructor in a private secular institution to $89,771 for an assistant professor in a public institution.

Of all full-time faculty at responding schools, 14.8 percent devote at least half their time in administrative roles. Among these administrative faculty, doctorally prepared associate deans who also hold the rank of professor and associate professor, respectively, are earning an average of $75,402 and $66,307 this academic year. Doctorally prepared program coordinators are realizing average earnings of $59,360 and $52,589 when also holding the title of professor and associate professor, respectively, the AACN survey reports.

A Look at Regional Differences

Across regions, doctorally prepared professors received their highest average salaries this academic year in North Atlantic schools ($71,660) and their lowest at institutions in the South ($63,796). North Atlantic institutions also are providing the highest average salaries for doctorally prepared associate and assistant professors, $56,544 and $48,751, respectively. Meanwhile, professors without doctoral degrees are realizing their highest average earnings in the West ($66,352) and lowest in the Midwest ($49,925), according to the AACN report.

Copies of the AACN report, 1998-1999 Salaries of Instructional and Administrative Nursing Faculty in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, are available for $45.00 (plus $3.00 postage), prepaid orders only, from AACN, Dept. 178, Washington, DC 20055-0178; (202) 463-6930, or can be ordered here online.

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.

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Average Salaries and Percentage Change for All Full-Time Nurse Faculty 1997-98 to 1998-99

RANK AND DEGREE LEVEL NUMBER OF FACULTY ACADEMIC YEAR BASIS CALENDAR YEAR BASIS PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN SALARY

1997-98 1998-99 1997-98 1998-99 1997-98 1998-99 1998-99

Professor

Doctoral 976 990 $64,398 $66,132 $78,709 $80,828 2.7

Nondoctoral 62 54 $57,411 $62,959 $70,169 $76,950 9.7

Associate Professor

Doctoral 2,086 2,033 $52,762 $54,701 $64,487 $66,857 3.7
Nondoctoral 618 615 $44,062 $45,220 $53,854 $55,269 2.6

Assistant Professor

Doctoral 1,484 1,431 $45,591 $47,214 $55,722 $57,706 3.6

Nondoctoral 2,375 2,312 $39,691 $40,995 $48,511 $50,105 3.3

Instructor

Doctoral 49 50 $42,033 $42,240 $51,373 $51,626 0.5

Nondoctoral 1,419 1,396 $36,777 $37,961 $44,949 $46,396 3.2

Source: American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 1998-1999 Salaries of Instructional and Administrative Nursing Faculty in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing.

CONTACT: Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu