The increasing need for nursing educators

Nurse educators play a crucial role in the success and future of the nursing profession. They can be found as faculty in nursing schools and also within organizations where they share their knowledge and educate future nurses and also nurses who seek to expand their professional scope of practice. They are a group of professionals that are the foundation of learning and education for all nurses. 

 As the world continues to grapple with severe nursing shortages, an emphasis remains focused on strategies to increase the nursing workforce. The shift away from traditional bedside nursing roles and the aging population within the nursing profession has contributed to the Great Resignation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reduced student capacity and the inability to expand and accept more potential students into nursing programs are key issues that amplified this. This issue is largely related to nursing educator faculty shortages at nursing schools across the nation that are forced to limit student capacity when the demand for registered nurses continues to grow. 

There are many factors related to this compound problem of faculty shortages, resulting in an increasing need for nursing educators and a reduced student capacity. Among the many reasons for this nurse educator shortage, key factors contributing to the crisis are budget constraints, aging faculty, and job competition from clinical sites.

In a recent American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) report from 2019 to 2020, nursing schools turned away 80,407 qualified applications from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs during 2019. This was largely related to an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and clinical preceptors, as well as budget constraints.

These numbers have continued to climb throughout the pandemic as the demand for nurses has reached critical levels. The AANC is working to leverage resources and funding to combat this largely undiscussed problem that continues to contribute to a national nursing shortage, with no end in sight.

Another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic was a further reduction of nursing educators related to the many stressors the educators faced while continuing to teach their students. Constraints placed on educator roles during the pandemic caused many to leave the nursing educator profession.

Innovations were put in place to mitigate these constraints, such as distance learning and simulation labs. However, these strategies were difficult to implement and equate to real hands-on learning, which is a critical component of nursing education and student development. Increased enrollment in nursing schools combined with reduced capacities put further strain on existing faculty, as schools have remained unable to scale up faculty in the way it is needed.

The need for nationwide recognition of the increasing need for nurse educators has now reached a critical level. The AANC is working to gain federal support and funding to rapidly expand this crucial nursing role. Nurses looking to leave traditional bedside roles should consider this inspiring, important, and very much needed role as an alternative, and a way to remain in the profession in a different capacity.

Nursing educators hold the key to the future of our profession and we as a nation need to do whatever we can to ensure the expansion of this important role.