Howard Submits HRSA Application

Kudos to Valerie Howard, associate dean for academic affairs, and her entire team for the submission of their HRSA application entitled "HRSA-Nurse Faculty Loan Program." This proposal requests funding for a one-year period with a start date of July 1, 2019. 

For academic year 2016-2017, the AACN reported 1,567 faculty vacancies among 821 US baccalaureate and/or graduate member schools (86% response rate). The data from the most recent NC Board of Nursing report show that as of October 1, 2017, there were 91 full-time faculty vacancies (as compared to 54 in 2008) and 85 part-time faculty vacancies (as compared to 42 in 2008).

A major obstacle to addressing the expanded need for nurses was the insufficient number of qualified individuals prepared for the role of educator. Finally, the NC Board of Nursing requires that all nurse faculty members who teach in pre-licensure programs have completed the equivalent of nine graduate credit hours of preparation as teachers. As many current faculty members in the state (particularly in ADN programs) are not prepared at the master’s level, there is a unique need to provide that education. Based on trends in nursing education and the aging of the current nursing faculty, the gap between the number of nursing education faculty members and the projected need is increasing. Thus, there will be a corresponding demand for increased nursing program enrollments.

The Duke University School of Nursing offers two programs aimed at addressing the nurse faculty shortage: the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), with a major in nursing education, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Our commitment to preparing nurse educators is strong with enrollment growing across both programs. So is the need for financial support. During academic year 2017-2018, 34 students participated in the Nurse Faculty Loan Program including 22 DNP students.