On June 26 and 27, 2008, AARP, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor will hold a summit at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA to discuss the shortage of nurses and the shortage of nurse educators. The goal is to find solutions to the shortage of nurses and to improve nursing education capacities throughout the country.
Every year thousands of qualified nursing students are turned down by nursing programs across the country due to the shortage of nurse educators. Many schools have long waiting list for nursing students.
It will be very interesting to hear what ideas and solutions they come up with. Salaries and benefits for nurse educators have to be examined carefully! In most instances, a nurse can make much more money and have better benefits working in the field than working for a college or university.
Nurse educators have to be dedicated to educating new nurses. Colleges and universities cannot possibly attract the best nurses to fill their positions without being able to offer competitive salaries and benefits!
As soon as I have more information, I’ll post it here. Stay tuned….
