April 27, 2004

National Nurses Day Guest Editorial By Boise State Nursing Professor

Nurse Educators are Critical to the Health of People in Idaho By Pam Strohfus, RN, BSN, MA May 6 is National Nurses Day, an occasion to recognize and celebrate the compassionate and caring nursing professionals who touch our lives. As we celebrate Nurses Day, let us not forget to personally congratulate all of the nurses we know for the safe and high-quality care they provide in a variety of settings in our community. Nurses Day kicks off National Nurses Week, which culminates on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of professional nursing. Nurses’ Week also provides the opportunity to examine the challenges frontline professionals face as they work to save lives and maintain the health of millions of people. Unfortunately, our nursing resources are rapidly declining. My colleagues and I are genuinely concerned that the number of nurses entering the work force is declining in relation to the increased health care needs of the population. The problem of staffing is exacerbated by the exit of the baby boomer nurses who are retiring, thus leaving the shortage of professional nurses even more problematic. However, one of the primary reasons for my concern is the rapid decline in the supply of nurse educators. Nursing faculty, with a national median age of 51.2 years, also face a wave of retirements. This diminishing work force will potentially impact the quality of care for all Americans. Fewer faculty means that many nursing students will not be accepted into nursing preparation programs despite the need for more nurses. To stem the tide of nursing faculty shortages, it is imperative that more nurses with graduate degrees be encouraged to become nurse educators in the academic arena. Nurses with advanced degrees who could become nurse educators are lured away from the universities by practices in acute care or community settings where the salaries are substantially higher. Nursing educators in Idaho are not compensated at a rate competitive with the private sector or even at a rate competitive with other universities in the Pacific Northwest. The disparity in pay is significant. I recognize that the governor and Legislature are working on state salaries, and I say thank you to the Idaho legislators who approved a 2 percent raise for faculty and staff at Boise State University. Idaho faculty wages, however, are still far below peer group wages elsewhere in the United States. In my personal experience, my decision to join the teaching faculty at Boise State was a difficult one, especially since I was offered double the salary elsewhere in the Treasure Valley. Yet I joined the Boise State department of nursing in the fall of 2003, eager to share my passion for nursing with a new generation and, at the same time, learn from my students and new community. Many other qualified nurses would not have followed in my footsteps. The passion to teach is not rare among nurses; we teach every day in our profession regardless of our practice setting. Our health systems and community would benefit if Idaho was able to recruit a greater number of master’s and doctoral prepared nurses who wish to impart their knowledge and experience to our future nurses. I urge nurses to consider pursuing nursing education as a career. Because competitive wages are a key component of a successful faculty recruitment effort, I also encourage our legislators and the general public to support competitive wages for nursing faculty. Our profession and the health of our nation may well depend on it. -30- Pam Strohfus is a nursing professor at Boise State University. For more information about the coming nursing shortage, visit http://www.nursesource.org/04FacultyShortage . Contact Pam Strohfus Nursing Department 208 426-3577 Media contact Pat Pyke communications and marketing 208 426-1987 ppyke@boisestate.edu