Stimulating Nursing Education
Every day, the economic news is dire, but with the recent passage of the federal economic stimulus package there is some good news for nursing.
The legislation, signed into law by President Obama Feb. 16, includes $500 million for health professions training. During the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years, $300 million of this funding will go to the National Health Service Corps. The remaining $200 million will be divided between Nursing Workforce Development Programs (Title VIIIprograms) and Health Professions Training Programs (Title VII programs).
"This is a significant accomplishment for nursing education, particularly during these difficult economic times," said Mary Klotz Walker, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. "This funding will be crucial to properly educatingour nursing students to meet the growing needs of our healthcare system.
Place Your Money on It
According to Walker, one example of how this money will be used is for programs to retrain workers who've been displaced from other industries. She cited as an example a collaborativeprogram in Michigan that retrains laid-off autoworkers as nurses. To participate in such programs, workers generally need to already have a baccalaureate degree of some kind, she said.
Funding also may be used to support nursing diversity scholarships, as well as nurse faculty scholarships. Walker said lack of nursing faculty continues to be an obstacle in addressing the current nursing shortage. "Thirty percent of nursing faculty positions in the U.S. are not filled," she said.
The funding also will support grants for clinical educationalequipment. Walker said this would include clinical simulation equipment that allows for the expansion of some nursing educational capacity without the need for more faculty.
Funds also will be allocated for research. Walker said this funding is being dispensed already and must be distributedwithin 120 days. While it's a short window of opportunity, "more research can only be good for the American people," she said.
Ongoing Support
Securing this money for nursing education in such a short period of time was an accomplishment in itself, Walker said. She said the funding was championed by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Rep. Lois Capps, RN, and Sen. Dick Durbin. Walker said Durbin has been incredibly focused on a variety of issues related to educating more nurses and getting them into the workforce.
However, Walker also was quick to caution the nursing shortage continues to deepen. "This may be a short-term solution, but we still need to improve our long-range strategies." She hopes nurse leaders will look for ways to turn the challenges in the country's economy into new opportunities to benefit nursing and, ultimately, improve healthcare for everyone.
To stay apprised of developments related to this funding, Walker recommends visiting the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the American Nurses Association.
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