Academic nursing as a career choice offers the opportunity to impart knowledge and mold the incoming generation of nursing professionals. Therefore, in itself, academic nursing is a fulfilling career path. Presently, however, there is a remarkable shortage of nursing educators across the country. The situation on the ground is an aging faculty of nursing lacking enough fresh blood to replace them. This comes at a time when there is an urgent shortage in nursing Vis a Vis the growing healthcare system. Professionals in Academia are responsible for molding and producing nurses in practice. School administrators in recent years have been compelled to turn away thousands of qualified applicants due to shortage in the faculties. Academic nursing is therefore very important and is a viable career choice for nursing professionals. On this note, the National League of Nursing has tried to increase programs that offer academic progression throughout the country. In addition, they have set in checks and systems to ensure and sustain satisfaction for academic professionals.
Many factors have contributed to the faculty shortage in nursing. However, the main issue addressed in the article is the lack of succession planning among members of faculty in nursing. The present faculty should create strategies that ensure junior professionals are trained and groomed ready to assume future educator roles. These strategies should be detailed and explicit and should aim at developing people and molding their capability. Therefore, the aging faculty must realize that there is a need for new educators ready and willing to impart knowledge on them so that they not only want to remain in academic nursing, but also get the most out of it professionally. Succession planning can only succeed if set the strategies are fully implemented and if succession planning is based on practical experience.
Without a succession planning strategy in place, the recruitment efforts cannot be put in place. A succession plan requires the recruitment of promising and talented individuals. It also increases retention by increasing interest and participation of young employees in the field of academia. Therefore, a major contributor to the shortage of nursing educators is the continued lack of succession planning in most schools that continues to frustrate recruitment and retention efforts.
The Effect on the Nursing Profession
The nursing profession includes both the clinical and academic sides. The growth of the nursing profession is currently stunted. This is because experienced academicians and educator nurses are required in order for students to learn. The main consequence of the shortage in the academic side of the profession is a shortage in the clinical side of the profession as well.
Additionally, the shortage of faculty fuels the dissatisfaction in the nursing profession. Because there are fewer faculty members than demanded, few nursing programs have the capability to offer programs for nursing professionals to continue progressing academically. In addition, ineffective succession planning programs ensure that those who end up qualifying for faculty positions fail to pursue these roles due to job dissatisfaction. Noncompetitive salaries compound the job dissatisfaction, the lack of demographic diversity and alternative job opportunities.
The Effect on Nursing Practice and the US Healthcare System
The shortage of nursing educators consequently leads to a shortage of qualified nursing professionals. The issue is not only the quantity but also the quality of these healthcare givers. For example, the growing population especially that of senior citizens means that there is a need for more numbers of qualified professionals to offer proper healthcare. On the other hand, complex health care problems like health care disparities among different populations, cultural competency and increased healthcare litigation; are problems that require a highly educated individual to navigate through .In addition, the lack of adequate nurses in clinical practice leads to overburdening of primary care givers with too many duties over long hours. This overburdening of duties under stressful conditions leads to frustration and job dissatisfaction. Moreover, a shortage in nursing staff compromises the quality of patient care. There is an increased risk of inadequate patient care and an increased risk of making medical errors with overburdened nurses (Mullan et al, 2007).
The American Healthcare system has evolved over the years to include facets that require qualified and educated primary care givers. However, the need for qualified nurses is inadequately met. One of the main culprits is the insufficiency in the nursing faculty required to teach this nursing professionals.
The American population is continuing to expand. The baby boomer population in particular has more medical needs as they are more likely to have chronic and age related diseases. The realities of health care reform are that millions of uninsured individuals will be introduced into the system. Other facets of the evolving health care system include emergency medicine and ethnic health care disparities.
The structure of the American healthcare system cannot afford the lack of primary care givers. Consequently, the current shortage of nurses is inherently critical. Educated nurses are an integral part of the success of this evolved system. The shortage of nurse educators will only continue to drive up this need.
Bibliography
Citation style: APA6
Joyce, J. F. (2014). Succession planning for nurse faculty: Who will replace us? Nursing Education Perspectives, 35(6), 359.
