Help is on the way…but we need to work together☆☆☆

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Abstract 

J Vasc Nurs 2003;21:33-4

The average nurse vacancy rate in US hospitals is 13%, and more than 1 in 7 hospitals report a severe registered nurse vacancy rate of more than 20% (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], Media Relations, 2002). Although the total registered nurse population in the United States increased slightly from 1996 to 2000, it was the lowest increase in recent history.

Do these numbers surprise you? Of course not. On the vascular step-down unit where I work as a casual nurse, there are 8 vacant positions on the night shift alone. I'm sure that you and your colleagues have experienced significant frustration over staffing problems and actual or potential compromised patient care. This current nursing shortage is widely believed to be a result of decreased enrollment in schools of nursing. This decrease is manifested by the decrease in the number of candidates taking the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses from a high of 96,438 in 1995 to a low of 68,759 in 2001. Combined with the increasing numbers of nurses leaving the profession or moving to part-time positions, these numbers are frightening.

As a result of this severe nursing shortage, 2 national media campaigns have been launched recently to promote the profession of nursing. The first, “Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow,” is a coalition of 35 nursing and health care organizations working together to raise interest in nursing careers among middle- and high-school students. The second is a campaign launched by Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, NJ) called “Campaign for Nurse's Future.” This is a multimedia initiative to promote careers in nursing that includes paid television commercials, a recruitment video, a Web site, and brochures mailed to schools across the country.

The results from these campaigns are encouraging. Enrollments in US nursing colleges and universities have increased this fall for the first time in 6 years. The largest rise was in the South (4%) with a slightly lower increase in the West (3.4%). I work as an assistant professor of nursing at a small, private, liberal arts university in Ohio. We offer a bachelor of science in nursing and usually graduate 60 nursing students every year. At our university, the number of freshmen declaring nursing as their major this fall defies the statistics, with an increase of 60% over last year. So, let me encourage you by saying that help is on the way…but those of us in education need your help as well.

According to an AACN report, nursing schools turned away 5823 qualified applicants across the United States as a result of insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. Recent survey findings show that there is currently a 12% shortfall in the number of educators needed. In addition, the average faculty age continues to climb, and a wave of faculty retirements is expected across the United States during the next decade. These projections, along with a decrease in the number of graduations from master's and doctoral programs in nursing translates into a smaller pool of nurse educators. As a result, nursing schools across the county are looking for new and creative solutions to the faculty shortage including joint appointments (between schools and hospitals), financial incentives and scholarships, compressed education programs, and legislative advocacy. Just 2 examples of these solutions are the increased number of ADN to master's programs that are growing around the country, and master of science/doctor of philosophy programs that can be completed in 5 years. In addition, scholarships are being offered at the state level. In Ohio, the state offers a 4-year scholarship to nursing students worth $12,000, which does not need to be repaid if the recipient stays and works in Ohio. This scholarship can be applied to any level of education including graduate work.

I would like to ask you to consider what you can do to help prepare the next generation of nurses. If you already have your master's or doctoral degree in nursing and are working in a strictly clinical setting, consider going to your local nursing school and asking if they have any joint appointment options. If you have your ADN or bachelor of science in nursing, consider going back to school. There has never been a better time to pursue additional education, and there is no reason why you should have to pay for it yourself. Most schools require a master of science to teach, but many nursing schools employ nurses with a bachelor of science in nursing to teach clinical. If you are in a clinical setting and have no desire to formally teach student nurses, please consider how you could teach students in your current role. Have you ever volunteered to precept a student, do you make your unit friendly to students, do you speak highly of the profession or do you warn students against the “horrible profession of nursing”?

I believe there has never been a better time to be a nurse. Even though the current economy is somewhat unstable, every nurse who wants a job can get one. Pay rates are on the increase, sign-on bonus checks keep getting bigger, the general public is becoming more aware of our value, and various flexible scheduling options, such as weekend option, are being offered again. This information is out there, high school and college students are fully aware of the opportunities afforded by being a nurse, and they want to join us in this wonderful profession! Let's work together to end the nursing shortage.

If you are interested in more information, you can access the AACN Web site at www.aacn.nche.edu. For more information about the media campaigns designed to promote nursing, go to www.nursesource.org or www.discovernursing.com. You will also find information about scholarships and various forms of financial aid at any of these Web sites.