At the time of this writing, it disappoints me to say that we are entering our third year of a global pandemic. The pandemic has vastly influenced and dramatically changed the face of health care and nursing education. It can also serve as a catalyst for nurse faculty to demonstrate the important role we have in educating the future nursing workforce. As educators and scholars, we play a critical role in advancing the science of nursing education through our research, scholarly work, and teaching. Throughout the pandemic, we have tested new ways of thinking, teaching, and evaluating under stressful and challenging conditions.
In 2020 and 2021, nurses, including nurse faculty, were hailed as heroes around the world. However, in many places, nurses are overworked and underpaid and are leaving the profession, contributing to an already critical nursing shortage. Nurse faculty, as well, are leaving the profession, leading to the critical question: How will we be able to educate and graduate more nurses to influence the nursing shortage if we continue to have a shortage of well-qualified nursing faculty?
Currently, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), we know there is a 6.5 percent faculty vacancy rate, with about 1,492 open positions (AACN, 2021). This has contributed to more than 80,000 qualified applicants being turned away from nursing schools (AACN, 2020). Although the nursing faculty shortage was identified as critical for reversing the nursing shortage in 2010, there seems to be little evidence that these numbers are improving, and with an estimated 30 percent of faculty anticipated to retire by 2025, the shortage will most likely become worse before it improves (National Advisory Council for Nursing Education and Practice, 2021). A recent survey (AACN, 2021) cites some of the same reasons for the shortfall as in earlier years. Salaries that fall at less than 75 percent of our practice partners, high faculty workload, unfamiliarity with the faculty role, and lack of diversity are among a few of the reasons cited.
As we continue to search for evidence to advance the science of nursing education while educating our future nurses at the prelicensure, master's, and doctoral levels, we must find our voice to help others understand and value our contributions. We are the drivers of nursing education and the key to improving the nursing shortage. Because of the faculty shortage, nursing programs across the country continue to turn away highly qualified candidates who are able and willing to become nurses, yet limited funding to support nursing faculty education and salaries remains an ongoing issue.
We can cite the many reasons why nurses are leaving faculty roles or do not choose to take a faculty role. It is also incumbent upon us to identify and disseminate the evidence about what motivates nurses to become faculty and what inspires us to stay. The faculty role is challenging; however, it brings with it the opportunity to influence the future of nursing education, health care, and clinical outcomes through scholarship, teaching, and service. Research that demonstrates the influence of nurse faculty on the nursing shortage and, more importantly, the subsequent effect of this on health outcomes for individuals, families, and populations is needed. This includes studies that identify the motivators for nurses who want to assume a nursing faculty role, what leads to retention and recruitment for these critical roles, and the influence that nursing faculty have in improving the nursing shortage.
The Research Briefs section of Nursing Education Perspectives is the perfect place to disseminate the findings of single-site and feasibility studies that serve as a foundation for larger studies and provide foundational evidence to change and support the role of nurse faculty. Our impact as educators, scholars, and mentors for future educators, as well as nurses at all levels of the profession, is worth the investment of resources, and we need to provide strong evidence and support to those who fund the education of nurse scholars.
Although I recognize the continuing challenges of conducting research throughout the pandemic, I look forward to your submissions and the evidence you provide on the importance of nurse faculty in alleviating the nursing shortage. We must now, more than ever, help the health care community and the public understand and value our contributions. Thank you for your commitment to advancing the science of nursing education through your research. We are the future of nursing education.
REFERENCES