"Fixing The Nursing Shortage"

We can’t fix the nursing shortage… without fixing the nursing faculty shortage.

Across the country, nursing programs are turning away qualified applicants, not because of lack of interest, but because there aren’t enough faculty to teach them. And yet, fewer nurses are choosing academia.

Why?

Part of the issue is structural; compensation gaps, workload, and burnout. But part of it is also a misconception problem.

Many nurses assume academia offers a more predictable, “easier” alternative to clinical work.

But the reality is this:

Nurse educators are balancing teaching, clinical supervision, grading, curriculum design, student mentorship, accreditation demands, and often research, rarely within an 8-hour day. The work doesn’t stop; it just looks different.

If we want to attract quality nursing faculty, we need to do three things better:

🔹 Be honest about the role

Transparency builds trust. Let’s stop oversimplifying academia and instead prepare nurses for what it truly entails while supporting them properly.

🔹 Value the role appropriately

Competitive compensation, manageable workloads, and institutional support aren’t “nice to haves”, they’re essential.

🔹 Market the impact, not just the job

We need to tell a better story:

One nurse educator can influence hundreds of future nurses

Teaching is leadership not a step away from practice

Academia offers long-term impact across patient care, systems, and policy

🔹 Create flexible pathways

Joint clinical-academic roles and part-time teaching options can bring experienced nurses into education without forcing an all-or-nothing choice.

Bottom line:

Attracting great nurse educators isn’t about making the role seem easier, it’s about making it worth it, supported, and clearly understood.

If we want more nurses, we must first invest in those who teach them.

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