Durbin Secures Start-Up Funds for Troops to Nurse Teachers Program
DURBIN SECURES START-UP FUNDS FOR TROOPS TO NURSE TEACHERS PROGRAM
Monday, August 7, 2006
[Washington, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) secured $500,000 to fund his "Troops to Nurse Teachers" program passed by the Senate earlier this year. The program is aimed at encouraging nurses leaving the military to become nurse educators. The funds, which will be dedicated to the program's start-up costs, are included in the Fiscal Year 2007 Defense Appropriations bill that is expected to be passed by the full Senate in September.
With a projected shortfall of one-million nurses by 2020, Durbin called the "Troops to Nurse Teachers" an "innovative solution" that will help place more qualified nurses in faculty positions, which will in turn, increase the pool of trained nurses needed at civilian and military facilities. Last year, 35,000 qualified students were denied admission into America's nursing colleges.
"With a nursing shortage all across the country, nurses who have spent time in the military can help fill a critical gap that hurts both military and civilian health care facilities," Durbin said. "Last year, 1,900 qualified student applicants were rejected by Illinois nursing schools because there were not enough teachers. By signing up to join the Troops to Nurse Teachers' program, military nurses leaving the service will continue helping our country by teaching the next generation of health professionals."
The "Troops to Nurse Teachers" program will provide transitional assistance for service members who already hold a master's or PhD in nursing or a related field, and are qualified to teach. Eligible service members will receive career placement assistance, transitional stipends, and educational training from accredited schools of nursing to expedite their transition.
The "Troops to Nurse Teachers" proposal will also establish a scholarship program, on a pilot basis, that will provide financial assistance to members of the Armed Forces who have been involved in nursing during their military service in obtaining the education necessary to become nurse educators. Tuition, stipends, and financing for other educational expenses will also be provided. Recipients of scholarships must commit to teaching at an accredited school of nursing for three-years in exchange for the educational support they receive. The Department of Defense may also require continuing service in the Selected Reserve, or some other form of public service.
Durbin noted that neither the Army nor the Air Force has met their nurse recruitment goals since the 1990s. In 2004, the Navy Nurse Corps recruitment fell 32 percent below its target while the Air Force missed its nurse recruitment target by 30 percent. Civilian hospitals face similar challenges. According to the American College of Healthcare Executives, 72 percent of hospitals were experiencing a nursing shortage in 2004.
"If we are going to address the nursing shortage over the long term, we must increase the number of nursing faculty members. The Troops to Nurse Teachers' is an innovative solution for a serious and immediate health care problem," Durbin said.
Durbin's initiative is based on the Troops to Teachers program created in 1994, which has trained 14,000 former service members to be math and science teachers. More than 6,000 have been placed in high-poverty schools.
Durbin's proposal is endorsed by the American Nurses Association; American Hospital Association; American Association of Colleges of Nursing; American Organization of Nurse Executives; American Health Care Association; and the National League of Nursing.
Jeanette Lancaster, President of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and Dean of the University of Virginia School of Nursing, said: "AACN is deeply appreciative of Senator Durbin's efforts to create the Troops to Nurse Teachers Program. These start-up funds of $500,000 will allow the Department of Defense to set up the administrative procedures and start the program. This effort will provide additional nurse faculty so that schools of nursing can expand their enrollments. We also believe that having former military nurses serve as faculty will help to recruit more new nurse into the military."
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