Comprehensive Strategies Required to Solve Nursing Shortage; Report Calls for Academic Health Centers to Play Leadership Role 9/25/2002
From: Elaine R. Rubin of the Association of Academic Health Centers, 202-265-9600 WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Today, the Association of Academic Health Centers released a new report, The Nursing Shortage and Academic Health Centers: Assessing Options for Remedy in a Complex System. The report calls for academic health centers to develop and implement new strategies to address the nation's shortage of nurses and to provide a leadership role in finding long-term solutions to this health care crisis. Academic health centers -- the health complexes of the nation's major universities -- play major roles in educating and training the nation's nurses and conducting the vast majority of nursing-related research. These multiple and unique capabilities are considered the foundation for academic health centers to expand their leadership in helping to design remedies that take into account the interrelated nature of the problem. Funded by a grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr., Foundation, this report focuses on registered nurses, and analyzes the multifaceted nature of the nursing shortage, including demographics of the nursing workforce, work environments, and career ladders. It delineates a complex problem, showing that quick-fix, single-focus remedies are insufficient to address nursing and other shortages in the health professions. The report concludes that the nursing "shortage is a systems problem" and solutions will "require coordinated comprehensive strategies" in the health care and higher education systems. Academic health centers, to the extent of their capabilities, are urged to: -- Strengthen nursing education programs -- Expand educational resources for training to meet the need for new faculty -- Expand nursing research -- Develop networks with non-university based nursing programs to enhance education and practice opportunities and -- Develop and evaluate new models of nursing care "Formidable challenges confront us in resolving the nursing shortage," says AHC President Dr. Roger J. Bulger, "but coordinated strategies and implementation among educators and practitioners can avert a serious crisis looming for the future." The Association of Academic Health Centers is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of the people by advancing the leadership of academic health centers in health professions education, biomedical and health services research, and health care delivery. EDITOR'S NOTE: A photo supporting this release is available for free editorial use at http://www.wirepix.com/newsphotos/USN |