BIPARTISAN SOLUTION INTRODUCED TO END AMERICA’S NURSING CRISIS
Legislation Offers Incentives for Instructors
WASHINGTON, DC—Two members of Congress, from different states and different parties, joined together today to provide a long-term solution to a nursing shortage crisis that has hit both of their states and the rest of the nation. Congressman Tom Latham (R-IA) and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Nurses’ Higher Education and Loan Repayment Act which addresses the root cause of the nationwide shortage of registered nurses: the growing faculty shortage at U.S. nursing schools.
It is estimated that the nation currently faces a shortage of more than 200,000 registered nurses—a number that is projected to grow to more than one million by 2020.
“America’s growing nursing crisis should be of great concern to every one of us,” said Congressman Latham. “The critical shortage of nurses is hitting our nation at a time when the population is aging and in need of more medical care. And, none of this bodes well for those of us who live in heavily rural states like Iowa and Wisconsin.”
“Nurses are essential partners in our health care delivery system,” said Congresswoman Baldwin. “We cannot train and retain skilled nurses without first ensuring sufficient numbers of qualified nursing instructors. This legislation offers a long-term solution to that problem,” Baldwin said.
The nursing shortage is not for lack of people interested in entering the profession. Rather, the nation’s nursing schools cannot meet the demand. Due to a shortage of qualified faculty members, one out of every three qualified nursing school applicants is turned away.
And, due to the great demand for registered nurses, qualified nurses have little incentive to become nurse educators—particularly because the average annual salary for nurse educators is at least 20% less than their counterparts in clinical practice.
Exacerbating the crisis is the fact that a large percentage of current nurse faculty members—as much as 70 percent in some schools—are approaching retirement age within the next few years. With some estimates placing the current faculty shortage at nearly 10 percent, this crisis will quickly escalate without prompt and determined action to address it.
The Latham-Baldwin legislation provides student loan repayment for nurses who earn a graduate degree and commit to serve as faculty members on an individual basis—a powerful incentive not currently available to nurses considering this career. The level of benefit would match the level of education attained, and would cover the cost of obtaining an advanced degree at a public institution. For those nurses with advanced degrees facing heavy educational debt and the opportunity to earn higher salaries in practice, loan repayment provides a viable incentive to choose a career in education.
Congressman Latham, the lead sponsor, developed the legislation over the past year as a true team effort with the input of nursing and health care professionals and organizations through a number of listening sessions and visits to Iowa hospitals and nursing schools.
Congresswoman Baldwin is deeply committed to quality health care for all Americans, which hinges on the contributions of nurses and nurse faculty. She has worked with health care groups in Wisconsin and across the nation to craft solutions to address the challenges of bolstering a fully trained nurse workforce.
The legislation has been endorsed by 44 nursing organizations in the United States, including the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
