CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hospitals are being pushed to the limit amid the pandemic. Meanwhile, the shortage of nurses continues to be an urgent matter across the Tarheel State. The shortage is also seen on the academic side of nursing.
Dr. Anna Hamrick has been in the nursing industry for 20 years. She is also the Associate Director for Hunt School of Nursing at Gardner Webb University. She has seen firsthand the decline in nurses in the industry and she says to get more nurses into the workforce you need more educators.
“We’re limited often in our enrollments across the nation, based on the number of qualified faculty who have a master's degree or a doctoral degree," Hamrick said. "And we’re facing a looming shortage due to retirements."
The North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) said the nursing shortage has been an ongoing challenge in the state. NCNA President, Meka Douthit points to the North Carolina Nursecast report released by the State Board of Nursing and Sheps Health Workforce NC in November of 2021.
“It did tell us that by 2033, we could be 12,000, to 13,000 nurses short, in our state alone," Douthit said. "We have to keep in mind that was based upon information received from the North Carolina Board of Nursing and it was pre-pandemic data. So, what that data did show us is the urgency is now."
She adds that getting more educators should help -- but salaries are a major concern.
“The competition in the clinical setting, salary-wise is nowhere near the academic perspective. Nurse educators may earn salaries $20- to $30,000, less than new graduate nurses,” Hamrick said.
That’s why the NCNA is focused on retention and advocating for better pay for instructors.
“We’re so behind with, you know, incentivizing nurse salaries for education, that the issue is that some nurses are deciding to stay in clinical practice, instead of going to the faculty positions,” Douthit said.
Hamrick adds that initiatives to assist with the cost of continued education would also go a long way.
“There is a need for financial support to go and earn those advanced degrees so that you're eligible for the faculty position," Hamrick said. "Helping nurses get their masters and doctorate degrees and reimburse them for their education so that they can go and pay it forward."
Access to more clinical sites will also allow schools to bring in more students. Hamrick said that being an educator is a big investment, but a major aspect in battling the nursing shortage. Regardless of the challenges, she said it’s a very fulfilling career.
“I feel like it's the best of both worlds, where I’m still very actively involved in patient care but I get to help prepare the next generation also,” Hamrick said.
NCNA said it hopes to take action on nurse educators’ salaries when the legislature is back in session this summer.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions reporting on and engaging the community around the problems and solutions as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.