Nurse Educator Shortage Forces College to lose Accreditation

The lack of nursing faculty at Grossmont College in EL CAJON, CALIFORNIA has forced the college to lose the national accreditation for its nursing program. Grossmont College has about 300 students in its nursing program, and school officials say it's almost impossible to find enough nurse educators to teach them. With jobs in demand, nurses can make more in the field than they can teaching. Full-time instructors with 10 years' experience earn between $51,000 and $62,000 a year. Other community colleges pay $60,000 to $86,000. When a nurse with the same training and experience can earn anywhere from $85,000 to $116,000 a year working in the field it's hard to recruit talented faculty. "A registered nurse with an advanced degree cannot afford to teach at Grossmont College," the school said in a grant application to the Grossmont Healthcare District reported the San Diego Union-Tribune.

However, despite the lower wages nurse educators make in teaching positions, many cite the personal fulfillment they receive in teaching students. "It's a chance to have a big impact on our profession," said Roland Estrella, who's taught full time at Grossmont for three years. "I want to be an active participant in somebody's career choice to be a nurse so they can deliver really good patient care." Sharon Sullivan, an instructor for six years, said she enjoys the satisfaction of teaching. "I could make a lot more money doing almost anything else," she said. "This is a different kind of nursing. Instead of helping one patient at a time, you can help the students."

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