Nursing schools starved for teaching staff

According to a study conducted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), despite a nursing shortage, nursing schools rejected more than 41,000 qualified applicants in last year--8,000 more than in 2004. The rejections were due to an insufficient number of teaching staff: An estimated 7.9 percent nurse teaching positions are vacant this year. This is a serious problem for the nation as the number of unfilled nursing positions grows from 10 percent today to 36 percent by 2020. As Sally Lundeen, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Nursing observes in USA Today, the AACN study proves that students are interested in entering the nursing profession, but that nursing programs simply can't handle more students.

One reason nurses are attracted to academia is pay inequality. A highly-trained practicing nurse can earn upward of $100,000, while a teaching nurse may only earn $60,000 to $70,000. In response to the shortage, many lawmakers, academic institutions and even insurers have stepped up efforts to recruit nurses to teaching positions by offering higher salaries, good insurance and more vacation time.

For more on the nurse teaching shortage:
- read this USA Today report

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