2008 Woodie Awards
Nursing professor shortage affects all
By Sonya Harvey
Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: News
Originally published: 9/13/07 at 5:37 PM CSTLast update: 9/16/07 at 6:19 PM CST
- Page 1 of 3 next >
The overcrowding in nursing schools may be the relief the nation's hospitals, nursing homes and medical centers are seeking, while the pressing need for nursing faculty is still an issue.
The faculty shortage is not only in hospitals, but also in the number of instructors in colleges and universities.
A new nursing and allied health complex is scheduled to open August 2008 on this campus as part of the $450 million bond package approved in 2005, of which $33.2 million was allocated for construction, facility equipment and interior design of the new facility.
John Strybos, associate vice chancellor of facilities, said "There's a critical need for nursing programs in the San Antonio community and throughout the state, and with this new facility, we will double the amount of students."
The new facility will help relieve some of the overcrowding in classrooms and provide a more advanced education for students looking to enter the workforce.
Kimry Coffey, a nursing sophomore, said, "We are all crowded into the classrooms and sometimes there are so many students that we have to meet in the conference rooms."
Nursing students are not the only ones facing problems; nursing faculty is lacking as well.
The single biggest factor behind the shortage, Linda Tieman, executive director at the Washington Center for Nursing, said, is the insufficient number of nursing teachers at community colleges and universities.
The salaries earned by nursing professionals are significantly lower than the salaries they can make working in their field.
As a result, the district has implemented a Nursing and Allied Health Task Force to address the numerous issues facing the recruitment of nursing faculty.
The task force is made up of representatives from the district, St. Philip's College and this college's nursing and allied health departments.
"The reason the task force was formed was to make our college's compensation packages more attractive when hiring nursing faculty," Federico Zaragoza, vice chancellor for professional, technical and workforce development, said.
The faculty shortage is not only in hospitals, but also in the number of instructors in colleges and universities.
A new nursing and allied health complex is scheduled to open August 2008 on this campus as part of the $450 million bond package approved in 2005, of which $33.2 million was allocated for construction, facility equipment and interior design of the new facility.
John Strybos, associate vice chancellor of facilities, said "There's a critical need for nursing programs in the San Antonio community and throughout the state, and with this new facility, we will double the amount of students."
The new facility will help relieve some of the overcrowding in classrooms and provide a more advanced education for students looking to enter the workforce.
Kimry Coffey, a nursing sophomore, said, "We are all crowded into the classrooms and sometimes there are so many students that we have to meet in the conference rooms."
Nursing students are not the only ones facing problems; nursing faculty is lacking as well.
The single biggest factor behind the shortage, Linda Tieman, executive director at the Washington Center for Nursing, said, is the insufficient number of nursing teachers at community colleges and universities.
The salaries earned by nursing professionals are significantly lower than the salaries they can make working in their field.
As a result, the district has implemented a Nursing and Allied Health Task Force to address the numerous issues facing the recruitment of nursing faculty.
The task force is made up of representatives from the district, St. Philip's College and this college's nursing and allied health departments.
"The reason the task force was formed was to make our college's compensation packages more attractive when hiring nursing faculty," Federico Zaragoza, vice chancellor for professional, technical and workforce development, said.
This is an open forum for the readers of TheRanger.org. Abusive, inflammatory, slanderous, obscene and libelous language will not be tolerated. Please be considerate of other readers when posting comments. This is not the place for personal attacks. The staff of The Ranger.org reserves the right to deny publication of any posts. The comments posted here do not reflect the opinions of The Ranger staff, San Antonio College or the Alamo Community College District.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Frank Valdez
posted 9/16/07 @ 4:53 PM CST
The real shortage we should all be concerned about is the number of registered nurses missing from the floors of area hospitals. Patient to staff ratios of 10-20 to one are not as uncommon as one would think!
This shortage is caused by the inhumane, unjust and unsafe working conditions imposed on nurses by hospital administrators. (Continued…)
Post a Comment