BSN to Ph.D. Program: A New Solution to the Nursing Faculty Shortage at the Medical University of South Carolina, The

South Carolina Nurse, The, Apr-Jun 2003 by Leuner, Jean D'Meza

The nursing shortage that is being experienced by South Carolina and the nation encompasses not only nurses at the bedside, but nurse faculty needed to prepare a welleducated and skilled workforce. A decline in nurse educators has serious implications for the future of the profession and the delivery of health care within our nation. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported in their 2001-2002 survey of baccalaureate and graduate programs that 4,967 students were unable to enter nursing programs due to insufficient faculty, preceptors, clinical sites and budget constraints (Berlin, Stennett & Bednash, 2002).

The reasons for a shortage of nursing faculty are not unique to South Carolina. Factors such as an aging workforce, large numbers of faculty retiring and decreased numbers of graduate nurses pursuing doctoral education to be educators have contributed to this decline. It has been reported nationally, that the mean age of nursing faculty was 50.2 years in 1999 and 50.9 years in 2001 (Berlin, Stennett, & Bednash, 2002a). Sixty-eight percent of the Ph.D. prepared faculty in S.C. are over the age of 50 and 36% of all nurse faculty are over the age of 55 (Loquist & Pease, 2001).

In 2001, the governing board of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), concerned about the nursing shortage and its' impact on health care, appointed an ad hoc committee to develop a profile of nursing education in the 16 SREB states and the District of Columbia. The SREB survey focused on four areas: institutions; nursing education units; nursing students; and nurse educators and administrators. Survey questions related to faculty revealed that at the beginning of the 2000-2001 academic year, there were 314 unfilled faculty positions with an increase to 432 by the end of the year. Unfilled faculty positions were attributed to resignations, retirements and projected retirements. An examination Of graduation rates from doctoral programs revealed a 28 percent drop in doctoral graduates between the 1999 academic year and the 2000-2001 academic year. The number of faculty who resigned or retired in 2001 exceeded the number of doctoral graduates by 30%. By the end of 2006, 784 nurse educators are expected to retire (Hodges & Williams, 2001). In a survey conducted in spring, 2001 by deans and directors in South Carolina nursing education programs, it was reported that over 100 faculty vacancies are predicted in the next five years (Loquist & Pease, 2001).

New solutions are needed to begin to address the critical issue of preparing nurse educators. Specific strategies that address recruitment, retention, and new models of education need to be embraced. Nurse leaders and others are suggesting that future faculty must enter doctoral education at an earlier age. In other disciplines, students are encouraged to proceed with doctoral education without a prolonged period of experience between degrees. In nursing, this has not been the case resulting in applicants entering doctoral study later in life. More often than not, the most promising students are not approached and encouraged to pursue a doctorate in order to accept a nursing faculty position.

Aggressive recruitment strategies need to be utilized in order to attract advanced practice nurses and undergraduate nursing students into doctoral programs. In many professions, baccalaureate students are encouraged to enter doctoral education without obtaining a master's degree. This "fast-track" approach to doctoral education is one that has begun to capture the attention of nursing programs throughout the nation. Currently, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reports twenty-nine institutions offering baccalaureate to doctoral programs (AACN, 2002).

The College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has developed a BSN to Ph.D. program as a means of attracting future young faculty into the professoriate. The state's only academic health science center, MUSC has as its' mission to provide the highest quality health sciences education for students, professionals and the people of S.C.; to advance knowledge in the health sciences through research and to provide leadership in the State in efforts to promote health, prevent disease and provide quality health care. The College of Nursing shares this mission and further believes that understanding the needs of vulnerable populations is critical. This commitment is affirmed in the decision to focus the doctoral program on issues affecting vulnerable populations. Populations including the elderly, homeless, mentally ill, children at risk and persons suffering with chronic illness are representative of vulnerable populations. The concept of vulnerability incorporates political, socio-economic, cultural and historical perspectives.

The BSN to Ph.D. program at MUSC invites students with a BSN degree to enter an accelerated program comprised of master's level coursework and doctoral courses. The curriculum builds upon the knowledge and skills obtained in a baccalaureate in nursing program. The master's level courses provide the platform from which students can engage in a program of intellectual inquiry at the doctoral level. The BSN to Ph.D. curriculum is a minimum of 92 semester hours and can be completed on a full-time basis in five years or on a part-time basis. Doctoral courses provide students with a core foundation in nursing theory development, research and knowledge translation. Students engage in mentored teaching and research experiences designed on an individual basis. Students receive a Ph.D. in nursing degree upon program completion. Working closely with a faculty advisor throughout the educational experience, students plan a course of study that meets their personal and professional goals.