FYI: Legislation signed to increase number of nursing educators Morning Journal: Serving Lorain, Erie, Huron and western Cuyahoga counties

A law that addresses the shortage of nursing educators in the state, introduced by State Sen. Sue Morano, D-Lorain, was signed yesterday by Gov. Ted Strickland.

The Comprehensive Nursing Education Bill was formed by Morano after she found out how many nursing students were turned away because of the shortage.

"With the signing of Senate Bill 89, Ohio has taken a great step in addressing the looming nursing shortage," Morano said. "This law not only helps those nurses who want to continue their education to teach nursing students, but will also help all those who seek healthcare in the future."

The law will restructure the allocation of money in the Nurse Education Assistance Program to be directed more at programs needing the most assistance; enable the Ohio Skills Bank to serve as a mediator between universities and hospitals; and adjust requirements for Advance Practice Nurses. That means nurses who had prescriptive authority in another state for at least one year, within the last three years, would not be require to repeat APN training under an Ohio physician.

In the 2005-06 school year, 88,000 qualified nursing applicants were turned away from the nation's nursing schools because of faculty shortages. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that by 2020, there will be a 36 percent shortfall in registered nurses nationwide.