By Dana K. Plank, MS, RN

The nationwide nursing shortage is a well-known issue and a common topic among the leadership of many healthcare organizations. Efforts to address the shortage have been underway for years, from promotional initiatives to encourage recruitment to federal scholarships and loans to support training. States have also launched initiatives, often with the caveat that the nurse must remain in the state to practice where the scholarship was awarded.

Despite these measures, the nursing shortage persists, as does an equally significant and related issue: the decline in the number of available faculty members to teach future nurses. As of 2022-2023, a whopping 8.8% of the nation's full-time nurse faculty positions were vacant.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) identified the core causes of this faculty shortage. One driver is an aging faculty population who have a limited number of years left to teach prior to retirement. In addition, academic faculty tend to earn less than other nurses -- some nurses have taken up to a $40,000 annual pay cut when leaving clinical practice to enter academia. Many nurses are likely hesitant to accept such a decrease in salary. Another factor is the progressive decline in enrollment in master's and doctoral nursing programs, reducing the number of new nurses trained in education and qualified to teach.

Turning Away Prospective Nursing Students

This faculty shortage has a significant influence on the nursing shortage. In an AACN 2023-2024 report, U.S. nursing programs reported that they were forced to turn away a total of 65,766 applicants, in large part due to insufficient faculty numbers. Further aggravating the problem is the limited number of clinical sites and insufficient classroom and simulation lab space, as well as a lack of funds to support growing nursing programs.

Exploring Solutions

While the nursing shortage is widely recognized, the shortage of nursing faculty receives far less attention. More attention to the problem has compelled policymakers at the federal level to introduce legislation that would establish a pilot program to augment wages for nurse educators and support efforts to recruit and retain faculty. This has been slow to progress, unfortunately.

Meanwhile, some states have initiated programs to increase the number of clinical faculty or preceptors by offering certain incentives for teaching. Texas, Tennessee, and Hawaii have instituted programs such as: tuition exemptions; payment for precepting students in addition to their regular salary; and tax credits.

Could more nurse involvement in policy development help expedite legislative change? While many nurses aren't comfortable getting involved in the political arena, staying informed and becoming active in state and national nursing organizations is a good start. Nursing organizations are powerful advocates for the profession, and when the membership numbers are high, they have a greater influence.

Another intervention is to establish more academic-practice partnerships. These incorporate nursing education programs into a healthcare practice setting, and the two organizations work collaboratively to prepare new nurses for the profession. This simultaneously helps address workforce needs and faculty shortages. It can also foster more clinical experience, cultivate professional growth, and offer guaranteed recruitment pipelines for hospitals. Essentially, it offers a return on investment to all organizations involved, since each is delivering benefits to the other in "human capital," which is converted to financial, operational, and educational value.

It's also time for a shift in the nursing recruitment pipeline. According to a survey conducted in 2022, almost 100,000 registered nurses and 34,000 licensed practical nurses left the nursing profession due to the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruiters need to take into account demographic shifts in median age, gender, and race in order to attract new nurses. For example, recruiters have begun visiting high schools to generate interest in the profession using shadow work-type programs with their institution.

Finally, certain philanthropic organizations have taken an interest in the issue and have shown support both financially and via advocacy for increased federal funding. This assistance has focused on expanding the number of doctoral-prepared nurses who can serve as faculty.

Supply Versus Demand

The demand for qualified nurses continues to exceed the supply. This shortfall is expected to increase as more nurses retire. To address this, it's essential to increase nurse faculty and grow nursing education programs.

Every year, nursing faculty are being forced to do more with less while we expect them to continue to provide a high-quality nursing education. While the solutions I've offered to the nursing faculty shortage may be perceived as stop-gap measures, it is essential to initiate any or all solutions so that we are able to retain those currently in faculty positions and welcome newcomers. Without these efforts, the nursing faculty shortage will persist within the broader nursing shortage.

Dana K. Plank, MS, RN, is a registered nurse.