Interesting! http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=13379662
Nursing colleges across the country are in need of more clinical teachers and local colleges are asking qualified nurses to step up to the plate.
Illowa Partners in Nursing Quad Cities put on a workshop showing local nurses how they can become adjunct faculty at local colleges.
It's all part of an effort to combat the shortage.
"It's critical that we have good qualified nurses," Nurse Sheri Hayes said.
However, that takes good teachers, which are in high demand.
"This is a faculty shortage and it's going to get worse because a lot of us boomers are going to retire in the next five to ten years and that will probably be over 50 percent of nursing faculty," Eastern Iowa Community College Nursing Department Coordinator Ruth Sueverkruebbe said.
Without faculty to teach, many qualified nursing students are getting turned down.
A 2009 survey found that in the Quad Cities alone, there were 650 nursing applications for only 400 spots.
According to local nurses, turning students away now will cause major problems later.
"The baby boomers are coming into an age where we are going to need increased healthcare and we desperately need professionals that can meet our needs," Hayes said.
Hayes has been a nurse for 35 years and says the shortage has inspired her to consider teaching.
"That kind of prompted me to think this would be a good thing to do with early retirement something I could do teach part–time and still be an asset to my profession," Hayes said.
"To see them take an interest in clinical nursing education is huge, it's exciting," Sueverkruebbe said.
According to nursing faculty, they are also working on securing more clinical sites like hospitals or doctors offices, where they can bring students to learn.
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Nursing colleges across the country are in need of more clinical teachers and local colleges are asking qualified nurses to step up to the plate.
Illowa Partners in Nursing Quad Cities put on a workshop showing local nurses how they can become adjunct faculty at local colleges.
It's all part of an effort to combat the shortage.
"It's critical that we have good qualified nurses," Nurse Sheri Hayes said.
However, that takes good teachers, which are in high demand.
"This is a faculty shortage and it's going to get worse because a lot of us boomers are going to retire in the next five to ten years and that will probably be over 50 percent of nursing faculty," Eastern Iowa Community College Nursing Department Coordinator Ruth Sueverkruebbe said.
Without faculty to teach, many qualified nursing students are getting turned down.
A 2009 survey found that in the Quad Cities alone, there were 650 nursing applications for only 400 spots.
According to local nurses, turning students away now will cause major problems later.
"The baby boomers are coming into an age where we are going to need increased healthcare and we desperately need professionals that can meet our needs," Hayes said.
Hayes has been a nurse for 35 years and says the shortage has inspired her to consider teaching.
"That kind of prompted me to think this would be a good thing to do with early retirement something I could do teach part–time and still be an asset to my profession," Hayes said.
"To see them take an interest in clinical nursing education is huge, it's exciting," Sueverkruebbe said.
According to nursing faculty, they are also working on securing more clinical sites like hospitals or doctors offices, where they can bring students to learn.
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