April 6, 2005: Tennessee: Nursing Shortage Caused by Lack of Professors:"A new report says the nursing shortage is getting worse. Hospitals and doctors offices are afraid that by the year 2020, 47 percent of nursing jobs will go unfilled. So what's the cause? As Volunteer TV's Jeff Williamson explains, it's not a lack of students."
http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3171330&nav=4QcHYJoL
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Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.comWe've known for a long time that it's a lack of professors that will lead to true trouble in the ability to churn out graduate nurses. This is no surprise. Nor is it a surprise that anyone would decline an invitation to teach when the salary is what it is. What a joke. Twenty thousand dollars less per year on average than bedside nursing? And for more liability? No thanks. I have given it thought many times and am currently in school to pursue an employer-paid BSN completion (no way I would volunteer to pay for it on my own since I don't see the need) so that later on in life when I can't stand on my aching legs anymore I can pursue a desk-type job and push papers. If that doesn't pan out, I can go back to work at Wal-Mart checking out school supplies with no guilt for having paid for my completion. Sound Callus? Probably. I am not convinced that I am less qualified than someone else with a BSN or some that I have known with MSNs. However, that said, I am proud of those folks for finishing their degrees and completing the coursework as I know it was difficult for them. It's the type of classes we have to take that isn't convincing me that I would be better qualified to care for my patients or teach a class if that's what I chose to do. Let's face it...though my instructors knew a lot, they also spoke off of transparencies an awful lot, powerpoint and videos. Hmmm...need an MSN to do that?
