Study finds decline in nursing faculty primary barrier to nursing program expansion

debthern · Jul 23, 2007

We were just discussing this at work the other day. Maybe they should consider dropping the requirements to teach to the BSN level

Trauma Columnist · Jul 23, 2007

Maybe they should pay the MSN nurses what they are worth? Have said it before but I can't afford to take a pay cut at this point in my career.

debthern · Jul 23, 2007

I agree but they totally have to do something....

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Jul 23, 2007

It will be interesting to see what will happen in the year 2015, when all these new nursing education requirements (from the NCBON) come into effect (i.e., the ones requiring all nursing faculty, even adjuncts, to have a Masters degree). I sadly predict that some of the smaller ADN programs will be forced to close down. I say this, after having taught in an ADN program for 4 years. I now teach in a BSN program and there is so much more support available for faculty. The salaries and workloads are much better, too.

adria37 · Aug 18, 2007

I will say it again, it is not the lack of qualified nurses to teach, it is the lack of funds to pay these nurses. I finished a MSN with a focus in education in 2005 and the pay cut to teach was approximately 1/2 of my salary as a staff nurse. There is no way I could as a single parent work for the pay they offered. I am now two classes away from completing a post master's FNP certificate and I am already training with my collaborating physician.

HealthyRN · Aug 18, 2007

What is the reason behind the low pay for nursing faculty? Is it because nursing programs do not generate enough revenue for universities to justify the higher salaries that other departments bring in?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2007

What is the reason behind the low pay for nursing faculty? Is it because nursing programs do not generate enough revenue for universities to justify the higher salaries that other departments bring in?

If they had more instructors it would get people off waiting lists and generate more revenue, so that would be a lame excuse.

Probably the budgetary considerations of the university system itself, there's only so much money to go around. Also if they raise the Nursing Instructors salaries then those instructors in other programs are going to want raises too.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2007

Maybe they should pay the MSN nurses what they are worth? Have said it before but I can't afford to take a pay cut at this point in my career.

I agree. I would love to teach, but with 15 years at the same job, my ADN RN salary is higher than some instructors. I can't afford to take a pay cut and why spend over $10,000 to get an MSN to take a pay cut. Crazy.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 18, 2007

I agree that the low salaries for nursing educators is a major reason why there is a faculty shortage -- and that the low salaries are related to the complexities of university budgets. I have done a little university teaching in the past and know first hand, the advantages and disadvantages of those jobs. Salaries are a part of it, but not quite all of it as the working conditions are also pretty bad sometimes. Right now, I teach 1 online class for a local school while I maintain a full time load at a hospital staff development job. The school pays me practically nothing for the amount of time that course takes. I do it only because it is something I find personally rewarding and because I am thinking that teaching part time might be a good way to ease into retirement in another 5-10 years. The experience will help me get a part time teaching job when I am ready to do that.

Here's another thing to think about.... I believe nursing faculty salaries will only rise in conjunction with the establishment of higher standards for faculty members. In almost all disciplines within the university even entry-level faculty members have PhD's. People with Masters' Degrees are hired as lower-lever "instructors" or "lecturers" -- NOT as Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, or Professors. The pay scales for faculty understandably include educational credentials as part of the requirements. In order for nursing faculty to move up the pay scale within the colleges and universities, they will have to meet the requirements for the higher levels of pay scale.

In other disciplines, most of the Masters' level instructors are graduate students paid to teach a few classes while they work on their PhD's. A few fields, such as nursing, art, business, etc. hire a few Bachelors' or Masters' Degree faculty in recognition of the practice expertise -- but only a very special few are promote beyond the entry level of rank. Such faculty members sometimes have a practice component to their jobs (as in "joint appointments") and earn additional money through that practice of their discipline. As examples of this arrangement, think of physicians who both see patients in their private practice and also teach med students ... or law professors who do the same thing ... or writers who teach classes and also publish, etc. Their practice of their discipline earns them money in addition to their income from teaching. In some rare cases, the academy may also count that practice in the consideration of promotion and tenure.

But in most cases ... promotion up the academic career ladder comes through academic achievement, not practice. That means educational credentials, research, and publication. Until nurses make the committment to climb that academic career ladder -- and support each other in their efforts to do so by honoring those who choose to get an advanced degree and do academic work -- progress to increase the level of compensation for nursing faculty will be slow.

Another option is the creation of joint appointments between schools and clinical agencies. The faculty member teaches part time and practices in the agency part time. The money from the clinical agency work supplements the pay from the school. However, those positions are hard to create and maintain. It's not as easy as it sounds. I've had a joint appoitment before and they are quite "messy" from a political and compensation standpoint. But I think we should be exploring the possibilities because they would help link the academic and practice environments in ways that would have lots of advantages for our profession.

HealthyRN · Aug 18, 2007

LLg, I completely agree with everything you are saying and it is only logical. However, isn't it also true that PhD-prepared nursing faculty are also payed lower than many other PhDs in other departments? For example, my husband is going to be starting his PhD program in mechanical engineering. He is looking at a starting salary of 80,000-90,000 for an entry-level faculty position, with lots of room for advancement and increasing salary. From my research of the job market in the midwest, it seems that PhD-prepared nursing faculty will start at 50,000-60,000, maybe even less. I guess I'm having a hard time understanding the pay discrepency from this prospective. From what you are saying, the fact that many of the faculty members are master's-prepared, and not doctorally-prepared, tends to "devalue" the nursing PhD?

KJRN79 · Aug 18, 2007

I agree. I would love to teach, but with 15 years at the same job, my ADN RN salary is higher than some instructors. I can't afford to take a pay cut and why spend over $10,000 to get an MSN to take a pay cut. Crazy.

Tweety said just what I was going to say. I would LOVE to teach. I have my BSN, but that $$ for MSN makes it crazy to think about.