Why aren't there more nursing programs in your State !!!!

Nursing Students General Students

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Everyone knows that there is a nursing shortage. However, there are not enough programs designed or catered to the people who really wants to go to school for nursing.

To me there should be more evening programs, there should be more part-time BSN programs. There should be more evening programs that caters to mothers/fathers who have to work during the day, but have the time in the evening. Or just about any person period who needs work, but desires to become a nurse.

There are so many people, who wants to become a nurse, but either their schedules dont mesh with the program in their vicinty, or there is a LONG waiting list etc.......

I believe that if this issue can be addressed then there would not be a nursing shortage and there will not be "great" to hire nurses from abroad.

What do you think about this??????

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Thanks for sharing. All that I am saying, is that there need to be more options for prospective nursing students. Unfortunately there are not enough programs. More day and evening classes should be developed in different states. This will help eliminate the long waiting list.

As the others have shared, in order for this to happen we need more instructors etc. I am just saying that something has to be done. Or maybe schools can change their current programs to accept more students, rather than 20 - 100 per semester.

Actually, I agree with you whole-heartedly. Schools need to change the way the way they do things in order to accommodate more students. For example ... not all students need the same amount of clinical time in each area. Why not give very brief experiences in all of the areas early in the program and then let the students go back only to those areas that interest them most. Not everyone is interested in OB or Peds or Psych, etc. Let everyone spend 2 or 3 weeks to be exposed to the basics -- then those that are interested can chose 2 or 3 places to return to in their last semester to get more depth. That would cut down on the demand for the limited, specialty clinical sites such as OB and Peds.

Outpatient settings can also be used more for some specialties, such as OB and Peds. You don't need a hospitalized patient to study growth and development, pregnancy, etc. But that makes it more complicated for the school to provide faculty supervision -- so, it doesn't happen as much as it could.

Also, as I said in an earlier post, clinical facilities farther away from the schools could be used. Some students wouldn't like that, but incentives could be offered to facilitate it. For example, a tuition discount could be given to those willing to commute greater distance. For some clinicals, overnight housing could also be arranged for those students willing to go to a distant clinical site 2 or 3 consecutive days per week. That was done in my undergraduate program many years ago and it worked just fine. It's not for everyone, but some students would choose to do that if there were some incentives to do so.

etc. etc. etc. I could go on and on ... but schools are not able to make such changes in their curricula without university approval and some additional funding -- and that is almost impossible to get from university administrators who are part of a general public that does not understand the problems. Until they feel the pain, they will be unlikely to do anything to help.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

In our local ADN program, a BSN can teach clinicals, titled "instructor". The community college won't pay nursing instructors any more than any other instructor at the CC (math tutors etc. ).

I am working on my master's, and would take a pay cut of at least half to work there, as opposed to my ER job with my BSN.

There have been times we had more students in the ER than staff nurses, 3 from the Airforce, 4 from CC, at least 2 from a different school. Makes it hard to give everyone one nurse to follow!

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Interesting thread. Here are my two cents:

I agree that there's no shortage of nurses, only a shortage of attractive nursing jobs. Government reports state that the shortage is caused in part by people leaving the profession due to unacceptable working conditions. I wouldn't worry about a glut caused by nursing schools, either: There are reports by various nursing organizations that suggest that even if the capacity of nursing schools were doubled immediately, the shortage expected by 2020 would still not be met. We've got an entire generation of nurses about to reach retirement age.

I disagree that there's a shortage of instructors with master's and Ph.Ds, but there is a shortage of the political will to come up with the money to pay them competitive salaries. It also costs about three times more to educate a nurse than it does to educate an engineer. (Consider the 1:8 instructor-to-student ratio in nursing programs versus a typical class size of 24 in other academic areas.) Yet the per-student allocation by most legislatures is no different for nursing than it is for any other program. Lawmakers do not consider these ratios, so schools must -- and faculty salaries are not raised as a result.

One poster questioned why a nursing professor earns 47K and a law professor 100k. Since that's exactly the situation at the public university I attended, I did some digging. What I found was that the law school has an extremely well-organized alumni association that raises at least $350,000 a year in private contributions and that has established an endowment in excess of $2.2 million. The interest from that endowment allows the law school to offer competitive salaries. When I go back to school in January, I intend to find out if this has been considered at the nursing school and what it would take to get a similar campaign established, either by alumni, students or their supporters.

In the meantime, I've written a letter to the governor pointing out the salary disparity and the problem it poses for students who can't get into nursing programs. I hope my classmates will do the same. The time spent is an investment in our futures.

I agree with posters who suggest that the situation will change when the public feels the pain.

Interesting post! I will join in with you regards tp writing a letter to the governor. However, if all nurses see the importance of uniting together for better salaries, better programs, better working condition, it will make our letters have a stronger impact. After all we are just the students. We are not the nursing generation becoming extinct. (retirement age)

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My school would love to offer more nursing classes, but who is going to teach? The nurses can make more money working as a staff nursing in a hospital, why would they want to teach?

This is why a change is needed. Better overall incentives for students, instructors and nurse. Only we can make such a change come about. Like Freedom42 stated, maybe alumni's need to be formed. Maybe the governor needs to be more aware of our current plight.

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In our local ADN program, a BSN can teach clinicals, titled "instructor". The community college won't pay nursing instructors any more than any other instructor at the CC (math tutors etc. ).

I am working on my master's, and would take a pay cut of at least half to work there, as opposed to my ER job with my BSN.

There have been times we had more students in the ER than staff nurses, 3 from the Airforce, 4 from CC, at least 2 from a different school. Makes it hard to give everyone one nurse to follow!

Your first comment is very true. Currently CC's have nurses who are working on advancing their current degree ( MSN/BSN) teach clinical at base salary. There is no differential category.

It is sad about having more students than nurses especially in the ER!!!!

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My school would love to offer more nursing classes, but who is going to teach? The nurses can make more money working as a staff nursing in a hospital, why would they want to teach?

I plan on working in student -nurse education some day. I also know that unless one of my other business vebtures pays off early one, I will probably never work full time for any college.

Two shifts a week at a local college and I am near my professor salary? Sad.

I am a vey frugal person and it certainly has never been about money for me. Fancy house, cars and designers purses are not my thing.

Still, you need money to take care of your needs. I would also like to properly take care of my parents and older relatives in years to come. That takes funds.

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However, if all nurses see the importance of uniting together for better salaries, better programs, better working condition, it will make our letters have a stronger impact. After all we are just the students. We are not the nursing generation becoming extinct. (retirement age)

Right on. Organization is the key to many of the challenges facing nursing. If nurses want to improve working conditions at any level, they've got to organize. Though I am only a student, I have been struck by how low a profile nurses have in my home state.

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Interesting thread. Here are my two cents:

....

I disagree that there's a shortage of instructors with master's and Ph.Ds, but there is a shortage of the political will to come up with the money to pay them competitive salaries. ....

One poster questioned why a nursing professor earns 47K and a law professor 100k. Since that's exactly the situation at the public university I attended, I did some digging. What I found was that the law school has an extremely well-organized alumni association that raises at least $350,000 a year in private contributions and that has established an endowment in excess of $2.2 million. The interest from that endowment allows the law school to offer competitive salaries. When I go back to school in January, I intend to find out if this has been considered at the nursing school and what it would take to get a similar campaign established, either by alumni, students or their supporters.

In the meantime, I've written a letter to the governor pointing out the salary disparity and the problem it poses for students who can't get into nursing programs. I hope my classmates will do the same. The time spent is an investment in our futures.

I agree with posters who suggest that the situation will change when the public feels the pain.

Very interesting.

Let me also supply another theory.

I also believe that nursing professors are paid less because nursing is still partially seen as a "pink collar" job and nurse Phd's, MSNs and advanced degree nurses apart of 'the pink-collar ghetto'.

Jobs are seen this way when they are dominated by women.

Even in our progressive society this thinking exists because the public still has no real idea what nurses do. The technical skill needed to manage today's hopital patient is not translated.

As more men enter the profession and as more people (men and women) continue to see nursing as an important professional choice professor salaries (and chances to raise huge endowments) will increase.

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I am the same way. You need funds to take care of business. Tho money is not everything..you cant get very far in life w/o it.

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Women traditional make 7cents for every $1 a man makes. I have noted informally that even male nurses tend to edge out female nurses over time with regards to pay issues.

It's a trend you can even see on this board and in the journals.

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Very interesting.

Let me also supply another theory.

I also believe that nursing professors are paid less because nursing is still seen as a "pink collar" job and nurse Phd's, MSNs and advanced degree nurses apart of 'the pink-collar ghetto'.

Jobs are seen this way when they are dominated by women.

Even in our progressive society this thinking exists because the public still hass no real idea what nurses do. The technical skill needed to manage today's hopital patient is not translated.

As more men enter the profession and as more people (men and women) continue to see nursing as an important professional choice professor salaries (and chances to raise huge endowments) will increase.

I have never heard the term "pink collar" jobs before now. Did you create that term.

I do agree tho, our society still holds the norms that men are the leaders etc. Hence as men continue to "deviate from their role" and enter the nursing profession be it as a instructor or a nurse. We might see a change financially.

I made this comment because a nurse was always been viewed as a female role and not a male.

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Women traditional make 7cents for every $1 a man makes. I have noted informally that even male nurses tend to edge out female nurses over time with regards to pay issues.

It's a trend you can even see on this board and in the journals.

Is that a factual statement " Women traditional make 7cents for every $1 a man makes" ????

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