I expect to be a nurse educator in the future, and I have recognized the nursing faculty shortage as a challenge that needs to be addressed now and in the future. The problem is expected to persist in the coming years due to more than 30 percent of current nurse educators’ retirement by 2025 (Mariani, 2022). The nursing faculty shortage affects the healthcare industry at the macro, meso, and micro levels. The microsystem is the nurse educator who cannot provide patient care and guidance to multiple new nurses due to the shortage, which increases workloads (Jarosinski et al., 2022). Nurse educators are considered clinical tutor and care provider who directly interacts with patients, providing invaluable knowledge, communication techniques, and professionalism that can only be gained with actual patients to inexperienced nurses.
The shortage of qualified nurses caused by a low number of nursing educators in hospital settings can affect a healthcare organization, which is the mesosystem. The lack of enough nursing faculty in schools has exacerbated the nursing shortage in the U.S. by limiting student capacity as their demand increases. Nursing schools have rejected about 80,000 eligible applicants due to a faculty vacancy rate of approximately 6.5 percent (Mariani, 2022). As a result, healthcare organizations spend more money recruiting fresh graduates and experienced nurses (Marufu et al., 2021). The community is the macrosystem affected by nursing faculty shortages, leading to a reduced number of qualified nurses with burnout and increased workloads, making them susceptible to errors.
I can address the issue of nursing faculty shortages at the micro level by advocating for competitive instructor compensation and educating nurses about the advantages of academic careers. Supporting policies encouraging increased salaries for nurse educators can help reduce the problem. In addition, educating nurses new to the academic setting on how academic careers are beneficial inspires them to pursue teaching roles in nursing schools (Ingraham et al., 2018). Although motivation is helpful, ensuring nurse educators are paid competitively compared to clinical practice jobs will adequately solve the challenge. The strategy will significantly affect the identified macro- and mesosystems. Healthcare organizations will spend less on highly qualified nurses who will increase in number as enough nurse educators become available. The community will receive high-quality care with reduced waiting times and fewer errors (Mariani, 2022). Ultimately, nursing education is a complex system that should be evaluated based on its impacts on other aspects of care.
References
Ingraham, K. C., Davidson, S. J., & Yonge, O. (2018). Student-faculty relationships and its impact on academic outcomes. Nurse Education Today, 71, 17-21. Web.
Jarosinski, J. M., Seldomridge, L., Reid, T. P., & Willey, J. (2022). Nurse faculty shortage: Voices of nursing program administrators. Nurse Educator, 47(3), 151-155. Web.
Mariani, B. (2022). The nursing faculty shortage: It’s time to find our voice. Nursing Education Perspectives, 43(2), 73. Web.
Marufu, T. C., Collins, A., Vargas, L., Gillespie, L., & Almghairbi, D. (2021). Factors influencing retention among hospital nurses: Systematic review. British Journal of Nursing, 30(5), 302-308. Web.