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The Other Nursing Shortage It's no secret that hospitals and clinics nationwide are suffering from a shortage of registered nurses, and SFSU is doing its part to meet demand by increasing enrollment 30 percent. But the School of Nursing is also focusing on a piece of the problem that gets little public attention: The scarcity of nursing leaders and faculty to educate the next generation of RNs. New programs at SFSU are helping to educate more advanced-practice nurses, such as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and master's level nurses, and move greater numbers of mentors, researchers and educators up the career ladder. At the master's level, a two-year program helps meet the needs of working nurses with bachelor's degrees who want to advance their careers without putting their jobs or family lives on hold. Designed by Associate Professors Amy Nichols and Andrea Boyle and offered in conjunction with the College of Extended Learning, the program offers evening and weekend classes, often at the workplace. At the doctoral level, SFSU and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) are using a new grant to help attract more nurses from underrepresented minority groups into Ph.D.-level nursing. SFSU master's students with an interest in assisting those with cancer or investigating how race or socioeconomic status can impact health care will get financial support, opportunities to participate in summer research, mentoring from nursing faculty, and assistance in applying for the UCSF nursing doctorate. "It's a fabulous win-win for everyone," says Professor Daphne Stannard, who, with Professor Grace Hardie, is a co-investigator on the project. "We have some really bright students who just need an extra nudge into doctoral study."
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