November 6, 2007 - What is often said of the nursing shortage is that there is a corresponding shortage of nursing faculty.  Indeed, according to a study conducted the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, “U.S. nursing schools turned away 42,866 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2006 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. Almost three quarters (71.0%) of the nursing schools responding to the 2006 survey pointed to faculty shortages as a reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into entry-level nursing programs.” So how do we fix this problem?  Let’s follow the money.

 

Salaries

 

College salary schedules are often based upon vaunted principles of egalitarianism and transparency.  However, market realities which pay a master’s prepared nurse 25-50% more in a clinical setting than they do in the academic setting don’t bode well for successfully recruiting candidates for nursing faculty positions, let alone the most qualified candidates. It stands to reason that some form of market differential must be implemented in order to attract qualified faculty to these positions. This means, an added stipend or salary adjustment that recognizes that market forces are driving the demand for these candidates.

 

Drawing from my personal experience as Director of Human Resources at a college both before and after a market differential was implemented; I can tell you that the results were dramatic.  Prior to the market differential, it was not uncommon for a nursing faculty vacancy to be open for a year or more.  After implementation of the differential, the search times were much more in line with other disciplines.

 

If a college has available funds, it is sometimes just a matter of mustering the political will to implement a market differential. Even after a salary issue has been identified, it can sometimes be politically difficult to implement the solution. Compensation policies at many colleges are firmly rooted in academia and not in the business world.  They do not have a mechanism to deal with market demands and there may be a lack of will to change.  If there is an interest in implementing a market-based solution to the salary issue, using a consultant can be a means to add legitimacy to the move.   I’ve worked with a couple of compensation consulting firms that are excellent – contact me if you’d like more information.

 

If implementation of market differentials within a college compensation structure is untenable, schools may also look to partners to provide the vehicle for these payments. A stipend paid through a local health care agency or clinical site can provide the needed compensation without upsetting the existing salary schedules.

 

In next week's post, I'll talk about how to find other sources to fund market differentials for nursing faculty if the money isn't available within the college or university.

Shane Turner
NursingFacultyJobs.com

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