Scholars
Developing Nursing Faculty
According to AACN’s report on 2010-2011 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away 67,563 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2010 due to an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. Almost two-thirds of the nursing schools responding to the survey pointed to faculty shortages as a reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into entry-level baccalaureate programs.
Released in October 2010, the Institute of Medicine’s report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health advocates for a doubling of the number of nurses in the U.S. with doctoral degrees. The limited supply of nurses with doctorates has had a significant impact on the ability of nursing schools to educate sufficient numbers of professionals needed to engage in the highest level of practice, research, and scholarship. Less than one percent of the nation’s nurses hold the doctoral degree, and the majority of those with doctorates (53.7%) have acquired degrees in fields other than nursing.
The Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar Program was created in 2008 to support educational development of new nursing faculty and stimulate models for joint faculty appointments between schools of nursing and clinical affiliates. The grants, made through institutional awards, also prepare doctoral candidates to help students address the needs of future patients – from dealing with co-morbidities and chronic illnesses to providing culturally competent care. The Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar Program was expanded in 2010 to fund a total 59 doctoral nursing students at nearly two dozen of the nation’s leading academic institutions. In 2012, the program will more than double in size with the addition of 200 new scholars, spreading the program’s reach across all 50 states.
