Nurse Educators Needed to Meet Rising Need of Nurses Nationwide
Healthcare industry experts and advocacy organizations worldwide have long been raising concerns and awareness regarding the shortage of nurses. The topic, while present before the pandemic, reached a crescendo as large and small facilities were hit with massive patient intake and struggled to meet the staffing demands required to ensure safe patient care. What is less spoken of but no less important is how this shortage correlates to the rising demand for nurse educators. How can we expect to foster, support, and teach enough nursing students to meet industry demands if we don't look at the bigger picture? Do we have enough nurse educators to teach more nursing students? In short, no, we do not. Nursing programs are struggling with staff faculty vacancies, and many need to augment their faculty numbers to meet the medical industry's rising demand and the increasing numbers of potential nurses.
Nurse Educators Are in Demand
In October 2019, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) released its findings of a Special Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions. They surveyed 892 nursing schools (871 responded) and found that 56% of them had faculty vacancies. Moreover, 15.8% of the schools reported the need to increase the number of faculty positions to accommodate student demand.
The AACN has further reported that for enrollment in 2019-2020, more than 80,000 qualified nursing school applicants were denied entry to a nursing program because schools did not have the resources or faculty to train them. Indeed, the faculty shortage will only increase over the next few years as many nurse educators (approximately one-third) are expected to retire by 2025, according to a study published in 2017 in Nursing Outlook.
What is a Nurse Educator?
Nurse educators are, first and foremost, nurses themselves. They traditionally work as faculty in nursing schools or teaching hospitals. They are responsible for teaching, supporting, and fostering the development and growth of nursing students while also working as advocates and collaborators within the industry. While it's true that most nurse educators are often found in educational institutions, they can also put their unique skills to use in other sectors. For example:
- Long-term care facilities may hire nurse educators to help develop agency policies and initiatives and educate staff.
- Pharmaceutical companies may hire nurse educators to support and educate nurses on their medications.
- Nursing license review and preparation programs and courses may hire nurse educators to help develop curricula to prepare nursing students.
- Medical equipment companies may hire nurse educators to educate hospital and facility staff on using new medical equipment and technology.
What Degree is Required to become a Nurse Educator?
To become a nurse educator, you must first become a registered nurse (RN). Clinical experience is essential to draw from practical experience to teach effectively. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), only a nurse with a master's degree in science should be allowed as faculty for RN programs. Unfortunately, the problem of qualified nursing student's being denied entry into nursing programs extends to the graduate nursing programs. In 2020 alone, 8,987 master's and 3,884 doctorate applicants were denied access to graduate nursing programs.
However, nurses with a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) may be found as nurse educators in states across the country. Some state nursing boards permit waivers for institutions that cannot hire master's level nurses.
How Much Do Nurse Educators Earn?
One of the widely-believed contributions to the nurse educator shortage is that nurse educators typically earn a lower salary than their clinical contemporaries with the same level of education. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual salary of a nurse educator was 82,040 in 2021. This is one career choice that requires a nurse to be dedicated to the idea of mentoring future generations and passionate about teaching because the income, while certainly modest, is typically not a motivating factor on its own. Nevertheless, one substantial benefit to nurse faculty positions is a set work schedule that naturally follows routine Monday through Friday business hours.
