A Strategy to Address the Nursing Faculty Shortage

Abstract

This article describes one university's experience in creating a master's geriatric clinical nurse specialist-nurse educator program to address the nursing faculty shortage and the need for geriatric clinical nurse specialists. The successes and challenges are outlined, and curricular ideas that may be beneficial to other nursing programs also are presented. This program has enhanced the university's pool of clinical instructors, increased its ability to provide services to older adults, and allowed faculty to instruct and focus undergraduates in the distinctions of geriatric nursing care. The biggest challenges faced were marketing and recruitment of nurses; these challenges were addressed, and possible solutions are offered. The most immediate benefit of this program was the generation of geriatric clinical nurse specialists.

The novice nurse and clinical decision-making: how to avoid errors

“…Another implication of an increased number of nursing students is difficulty finding clinical placements (Ganely & Sheets 2009). Colleges are often competing for clinical opportunities and placement of students (Hodges & Kline 2005).…”

Factors affecting undergraduate nurse educators' knowledge, skills or attitudes about older persons and their care: An integrative review

“…One paper was qualitative (Schrader, ). Thirty discussion articles comprised the majority of the papers (Barba & Gendler, ; Batchelor‐Aselage, DiMeglio, Aaron, & Dugger, ; Blais, Mikolaj, Jedlicka, Strayer, & Stanek, ; Edelstein, Cheung, Voss, & Kass, ; Egerton, McConnell, Corazzini, Kitzmiller, & Crook, ; Fagin, Franklin, Regenstreif, & Huba, ; Franklin et al, ; Ganley & Sheets, ; Gray‐Miceli et al, ; Hancock et al, ; Hertz et al, ; Hollinger‐Smith, ; Holtzen, Knickerbocker, Pascucci, & Tamajan, ; Jeffers & Campbell, ; Krichbaum, Kaas, Mueller, & Wyman, ; Lange, Wallace, Grossman, Lippman, & Novotny, ; Latimer & Thornlow, ; Maas, Conn, Buckwalter, Herr, & Tripp‐Reimer, ; Mass et al, ; McCleary, McGilton, Boscart, & Oudshoom, ; Miller, Coke, Moss, & McCann, ; Miller, Van Son, Caartwright, & Allen, ; Plowfield, Raymond, & Hayes, ; Souder et al, ; Tappen & Brower, ; White, Cartwright, & Lottes, ; Wilson, ; Young et al, ; Yurchuck & Brower, ; Yurchuck & Kee, ). Only three of the papers originated outside of the United States of America (USA), two from Canada and one from Israel.…”

An Explorative Study of Australian Nursing Scholars and Contemporary Scholarship

“…Further international comparative research is warranted to investigate and benchmark Australian nursing scholarship nationally and internationally. Moreover, the majority of participants expressed pride in a sense of achievement that scholarship had developed well in Australia, but they were deeply concerned about the future when shortages of leaders in nursing and in practice are immediate (Ganley & Sheets, 2009). They were also keen that critical debates occur and strategies are developed to support the early careers of scholars and leaders in academia.…”