[nursinghumor]

You have to wonder, how many potential new nurses we're losing each year due to a lack of space at schools. Maybe when nurses start retiring, a few will go into teaching. . . .

Nursing shortage: Too few teachers, CNN Health:"At nursing schools from New Jersey to California, a surge of applicants that could ease the nation's worsening shortage of nurses is being turned away because many schools can't find enough qualified professors.
That shortfall is driven by health-care jobs that offer better pay and by fewer nurses pursuing the Ph.D. required for full-time, tenured teaching positions."
http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/08/25/nurse.shortage.ap/

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[Aaron C.]

There was a huge front page article in the Daily Oklahoman about the same thing. I think it was 300 some qualified applicants that got turned away because there weren't enough instructors. I'll see if I can find the article.

[nursinghumor]

Doesn't sound too far-fetched Aaron. Right now estimates are as high as 1/2 of new nursing student applicants are being turned away nationwide.

Yet another reason why the nursing shortage we're seeing now is going to hang around for a very long time.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[kristycarberry]

This is very true! I applied to three different schools. The BSN program that I really wanted to attend, at University of West Florida, admitted 36 students for the fall semester and they admit once per year. This year, there were 189 applicants! Although I have a high GPA and scored well on my entrance exams, I did not have all of the pre-reqs completed. I would have had them completed before the fall and this was the only requirement to apply. However, they threw out everyone that didn't already have them done because they just did not have the space. So, you can imagine the dismay of the 152 other folks out there! I was on the waiting list for the ADN program that I am now in for 18 months before I started Nursing I. It's a first come, first serve program. We are constantly losing teachers and never seem to have enough. So, yes, from a student standpoint, this is a REAL problem. I know MANY, MANY people that have decided to change their major because they just can't put their life on hold while they wait to get in. I was very, very close to being one of those people. It's sad, but what's worse is that nobody seems to have a solution.
I'd say that 80% of our faculty at school still work part time or at least prn while they teach as well. It must be tough...I can see why they have problems getting instructors!

[TracyR]

Maybe it's time the hospitals get off their butts and put their money where their mouths are!

A proactive educational department within the hospitals can work hand in hand with local Nursing schools to develop intensive in-house clinical rotations for the schools. The school instructors can remain at the college with a separate class, while the in-house educators at the hospital take over. The college professors and hospital educators stay in close contact with each other to fine tune the curriculum.

Upon graduation, the Graduate Nurse is given the option to stay with the hospital and begin an even more intense internship program.

In this type of partnership, everybody wins... especially the patients!!!

[Anonymous]

Tracey.. That plan would work and a nurse figured it out.. Now you can be sure NO hospital would implement it..

And do you really think an educational institution of higher learning would allow an experienced nurse to teach THEIR students..We are talking about a predominantly female group here..Can you say control freaks????

What might work is for men to recruit men into the field and reform it...

WR,,, three commas for Becca

[cassioo]

we're over nursing schooled in this area 3 ADN programs and 2 that offer BSN with more within 100 mile radius so there aren't the jobs for all of them at the hospitals to get jobs when they graduate...the problems is the retention of experienced nurses. There are nights on general M/S units you get all new grads...don't put me there.