Nurse Education Bill Introduced in Ohio

by VickyRN Staff

On April 2, Ohio State Senator and RN Sue Morano (D-13) introduced a Comprehensive Nurse Education bill to address the state?s shortage of nursing educators. Incorporating recommendations of the General Assembly's Nursing Education Study Committee, chaired by Morano, Senate Bill 89 directs the Ohio Board of Regents to encourage universities to share ideas about how best to recruit instructors and to funnel more money to help nurses wanting to teach pay for advanced degrees. The bill also changes requirements for APRNs. The bill does not address the pay of nursing faculty in Ohio (the average annual salary of an entry-level nursing professor is $50,000), but Morano said the Legislature cannot force schools to pay higher salaries. She said that, even with lower salaries, better marketing could make the teaching profession more attractive, and added, "I believe this bill is a big step in the right direction for solving a nursing education crisis."

http://www.nln.org/index.cfm