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Students need more people to teach them

Lack of experienced instructors hurts effort to train more nurses

BY KAREN BOLIPATA

Date published: 2/25/2008

BY KAREN BOLIPATA

In past years, Germanna Community College admitted 100 students into its nursing program.

Now, it will be accepting 80 at the most.

Jane Ingalls, the college's director of nursing and allied health programs, said there simply isn't enough qualified faculty to teach more students.

To keep its accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, at least 75 percent of Germanna's faculty must hold master's degrees in the science of nursing, Ingalls said.

Currently, the program's 12 full-time faculty members have master's degrees. In total, 25 to 30 full-time and part-time members make up the staff.

The 500 pre-nursing students will have to endure a competitive selection process to be admitted.

"We've got all these people in the pipeline but we don't have the faculty to teach them," Ingalls said. "They have potential to do it, but we can't."

What's happening is not unique to Germanna. Across the country, nursing schools are struggling to serve potential students because of the difficulty of finding nursing faculty.

According to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, nearly 33,000 qualified applicants to baccalaureate, master's and doctoral programs were not accepted in 2004. More than 47 percent of the schools cited an insufficient number of faculty as a reason.

To cope with the shortage, Germanna has built partnerships with hospitals in the region.

HCA's donation to Germanna last week was the most recent of several hospital donations. The $50,000 grant will go toward nursing faculty, although it is not known whether it will be used to fund one full-time position or several part-time positions.

Germanna's nursing program has long partnered with MediCorp Health System and Mary Washington Hospital.

Eileen L. Dohmann, vice president of nursing for MediCorp, said the partnership allows qualified nurses from the hospital to teach at Germanna without leaving the bedside.

"We can give the nurses the best of both worlds," Dohmann said.

For example, Terry Brosche, a member of Germanna's adjunct clinical faculty, is also a nurse in Mary Washington Hospital's intensive-care unit.

These partnerships work, Ingalls said, because they let nurses keep their hospital wages and benefits while teaching.

The average Germanna nursing instructor's salary is $48,000, not counting Social Security and benefits. A new graduate of a registered-nurse program would make $42,000 at a hospital, Ingalls said.

Because nursing schools are unable to compete with hospitals, an instructor's only incentive is the love of teaching, said Ingalls.

Ingalls is a 42-year veteran of the field who is a registered nurse, holds master's and doctoral degrees and has been a clinical nurse specialist.

"You've got to be a person who wants to make a difference, has a desire to pass on and shape the next generation of nurses," Ingalls said.

Karen Bolipata: 540/374-5418
Email: kbolipata@freelancestar.com

85 to 90: Candidates for registered nursing licensure for 2007-08 17: Candidates for practical nursing licensure 30: Candidates for nurse aide eligible for certification 160: Candidates for two-year associate degree leading to licensure as registered nurse 30: Candidates for Online Commonwealth Nursing Program (two-year associate degree) leading to licensure as practical nurse 25: Candidates in practical nursing program The Allied Healthcare Preparation Career Study Certificate program has 500 pre-nursing students preparing to apply to the nursing programs. In 2006-07, the college graduated 80 candidates for RN licensure; 21 candidates for practical nursing licensure; and 16 nurse aides eligible for certification. --Germanna Community College In addition to the donation from HCA last week, Germanna's nursing program has received support from other area hospitals. THIS INCLUDES: $300,000 from the Mary Washington Hospital Auxiliary $200,000 from the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation $40,000 from Culpeper Regional Hospital $15,000 from Fauquier Hospital In addition, the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation's Community Service Fund gave grants of $50,000 in 2007 and $68,000 in 2008 to pay the salary of the laboratory coordinator.

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Date published: 2/25/2008