NY Times op-ed: Solving nursing shortage will require more training resources

June 10, 2003 -- A powerful op-ed piece in today's New York Times by Claire Fagin, RN, Ph.D and Corinne Rieder, Ed.D. notes that people are "answering the call for more nurses," but argues that academic and other training resources must be increased in order for nursing to capitalize on the increased interest and the nation to emerge from its nursing crisis.

Dr. Fagin, dean emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and Dr. Rieder, executive director of the John A. Hartford Foundation, explain that important steps have been taken to raise awareness of the crisis and that prospective nurses are responding; baccalaureate nursing enrollments reportedly rose 8% in 2002. They stress, however, that these hopeful developments are threatened by problems in the "academic pipeline:" many nursing schools are turning away qualified applicants because of a lack of faculty and other resources.

The writers urge more government funding for nursing faculty development, geriatric training and other work force improvement programs. They also encourage the American Hospital Association to promote magnet hospital certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which raises nursing standards and improves the recruitment and retention of nurses.

See the NY Times editorial "Nursing wounds."