Lawmakers Take Aim At Nursing Shortage
March 02, 2009
By the Online Nursing Career Content Team – Find Top Nursing Programs Online!
A leading U.S. senator has introduced legislation aimed at combating the nationwide shortage of nurses.
Last week, Senator Dick Durbin introduced legislation targeting what he and other lawmakers, including Congresswoman Nita Lowey who introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House, feel is one of the main components of the current shortage - a lack of nursing educators.
"Every year, our colleges and universities turn away more and more aspiring healthcare professionals due to lack of faculty… Our bill will strike at the heart of the nursing shortage by giving colleges the resources they need to train more nurses," said Durbin in a statement.
The two lawmakers noted that 63 percent of nursing schools nationwide had reported vacancies on their faculty, with another 17.8 percent saying they needed more faculty to handle increased demand for nursing students. These numbers are more pressing considering the growing number of faculty who are approaching retirement age.
Under the proposed legislation, the bill would provide new grant funds to help advanced nursing students train as faculty members, as well as purchasing needed new education equipment, improving laboratories and improving infrastructure.
The lawmakers also noted that their legislation has already been endorsed by 20 nursing-oriented organizations nationwide.
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