Nurses play a critically important role in our health care delivery system. They provide bedside care and comfort to patients, and guide people through complicated medical regimens. In a typical physician’s office, it is often the nurse who prepares patients for their exams, assists the doctor throughout the examination process, and explains needed follow-up care. And in rural states such as Maine, advanced-practice nurses often serve as primary health care providers.
Yet we are facing an ongoing nursing shortage of critical proportions. In Maine there are 1,100 nursing vacancies. This number is expected to balloon to more than 5,200 over the next 15 years. Maine is not alone. States across the country are grappling with shortages in key nursing professions.
At a time when the baby boomers are reaching retirement, and as more and more people are living longer and longer, with increasing health care needs, the ramifications of this shortage are worrisome. This scarcity of nurses has put the lives of patients at risk. A recent study found that low nursing staff levels were contributing factors in approximately a quarter of hospital patient deaths and injuries. Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients in hospitals with fewer registered nurses were more likely to suffer from complications like pneumonia, to stay in the hospital longer, and to die from treatable conditions.
Many factors have played a role in our current nursing shortfall. For example, the nature of nursing jobs often necessitates long hours and night shifts. But what is most disconcerting is that we simply do not have enough nursing teachers to train the next generation of prospective nurses. Many schools have been forced to turn away qualified applicants or to reduce course selection because of a lack of qualified faculty. Last year, 35,000 students seeking to enroll in nursing schools were turned away because institutions simply did not have the capacity to offer the number of classes needed to meet this demand.
I recently cosponsored bipartisan legislation that would help to alleviate the nursing shortage by providing incentives for military nurses to become nurse educators once they finish their military service. I am pleased that this initiative was included as part of the Fiscal Year 2007 Defense Authorization Act.
Entitled “Troops to Nurse Teachers,” the measure would establish a six–year pilot program that would provide up to $5,000 in transitional assistance to service members leaving the military who already hold a master’s or PhD in nursing or a related field, and are qualified to teach. Program administrators would help place eligible military nurses at higher education institutions and assist them with stipends to make the transition feasible.
The amendment also establishes a pilot scholarship program for members of the armed services who have been involved in nursing throughout their military career. Service members who applied could receive up to $30,000 in financial assistance on an annual basis to help them obtain the graduate education necessary to become nurse educators. These funds could also be used to finance other education-related expenses. In return, recipients would have to commit to teach at an accredited nursing school for three years.
These incentives would allow service members already trained in and dedicated to the nursing profession to continue their nursing careers by becoming teachers. The more qualified nursing professionals we recruit, the more schools will have trained faculty members to expand their enrollments and classroom options.
The “Troops to Nurse Teachers” program is modeled after the highly successful “Troops to Teachers” program administered by the Department of Education. This program focuses on relieving the shortage of math, science, and special education teachers by assisting military personnel with the transition from soldier to teacher. It is working. Since its implementation in 1994, more than 6,000 former soldiers have secured teaching jobs and another 6,700 are in the transition process.
I believe that the “Troops to Nurse Teachers” program will enjoy similar success. With successful nurses mentoring students, sharing the many rewards of this profession that they have experienced first-hand, more students will choose to continue along this career path – helping to mitigate the ongoing nursing shortage in our communities.
This initiative is an important first step, but we must continue to think of effective ways to generate continued interest in the nursing profession. For the evidence is clear that an adequate number of nurses can literally mean the difference between life and death.