A shortage of nursing teachers has brought about a recent crisis for nursing schools across the country. During 2005, U.S. nursing schools turned away 41,683 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs, and nearly three-quarters of the nursing schools blamed faculty shortages for those rejections, according to the Washington, D.C.-based American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
The problem only seems to be escalating. The AACN said budget constraints, aging faculty, and increasing job competition from clinical sites are at the root of the issue.
The Connell School of Nursing (CSON) at Boston College has also experienced the effects of the shortage. Dean of CSON Barbara Hazard said the shortage of nursing faculty has a direct impact on the shortage of nurses. She also expects the dilemma to worsen as there will be a significant number of retiring faculty over the next five years.
In order to combat the problem, Tufts Health Plan has collaborated with the Connell School to create Tufts Health Plan Teaching Fellowships. The teaching fellowships will provide full scholarships, funded by Tufts Health Plan, for the Connell School's online three-course Nurse Teaching Certificate Program.
"[The Teaching Certificate Program] is designed for nurses who have completed at least 50 percent of their master's course work and who wish to have further academic preparation as educators in clinical practice or for teaching nursing in an academic environment," Hazard said.
Patti Embry-Tautenhan, Tufts Health Plan vice president for corporate communications, said, "I am pleased that our organizations can work together to address the nursing shortage problem in such a constructive way." The deadline for applications for the spring 2008 semester is Nov. 30.
"I believe the Tufts Health Plan Teaching Fellowships will open up this teaching program to students who would not otherwise have taken advantage of this opportunity," Hazard said. The fellowships are a step in the right direction for ameliorating the nursing teacher shortage.
2008 Woodie Awards
