 "Photo: Bryant Haertlein")
A nationwide shortage of nursing instructors has affected UT.
The School of Nursing was forced to turn away qualified students this year due to a shortage of faculty, said Patricia Carter, an assistant dean in the school. The low number of faculty is not only a problem at UT, but nationally, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
In their 2006-2007 report on college nursing programs, the AACN found that almost 71 percent of schools responding to their survey cited faculty shortages as a reason for turning away applicants.
The nursing school at UT currently has 1,000 nursing students and 125 professors. The Texas Board of Nursing Examiners requires 10 students per one professor for undergraduate clinical courses and eight students per one professor for graduate clinical courses. Carter said the nursing admissions this year had to turn away 10 to 20 exceptional students because they did not have enough faculty members to teach them.
The nursing school has been struggling with this issue for a while and tries their best each semester to ensure enough professors for students, Carter said.
This past year, the school received 200 applicants and accepted 150 students based on their grades in science classes, volunteer work and essays. Carter said they accepted this many students because of their outstanding credentials.
She said the school always welcomes professors to apply but added that the standards are very high. A faculty member must have a master's degree in a prominent university to teach undergraduate students and a doctorate to teach in graduate programs. All faculty members must have work experience before applying for a position.
"The faculty already here are models for our students," Carter said. "We are constantly looking for teachers of the same standards who are strong communicators and experienced in working with students."
The lack of adequately trained faculty is not the only source of the national nursing shortage, said Janis Carelock, a professor in the nursing school. Many students do not meet the requirements that the admissions board mandates. She said students need to be qualified to become part of the nursing field.
"The problem with the nursing shortage is not because of the lack of interest in the field," said Sheba Kuriakose, who was recently admitted to the nursing school. "It is due to the fact that students get turned away, because there is not enough room in nursing schools, and in turn, there are no nurses in the job field."
Kuriakose said she hopes the faculty shortage will not be a problem in the future.
"Nursing isn't just about biology or anatomy," Kuriakose said. "It teaches us to make a difference, and I just hope in the future there are enough students to learn about that goal and enough professors to guide us toward it."
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