We Need More Nurse Educators—So Why Are They Paid So Much Less?
- Study finds that on average, the annual salary of nursing faculty is $8,677 lower than all other nurses.
- A 2023 study by the AACN found that the average national nursing faculty vacancy rate was 7.8% equaling nearly 1,977 full-time vacancies.
- Nursing programs turned away 65,766 qualified applications from undergraduate and graduate nursing programs in 2023.
A new study published in Nurse Educator by Center for Health Workforce Studies researchers at the University at Albany's College of Integrated Health Sciences found significant salary differences between nurse educators and nurses working in clinical settings.
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Utilizing data from the 2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, the study used descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to “compare unadjusted salary differences and demographic and professional characteristics between nursing faculty and other nurses.”
Overall, the study found that the average unadjusted annual salary of nursing faculty was $8,677 lower than all other nurses. Concluding that these salary disparities discourage nurses from working in academia. The salary differences were broken down further,
- $18,346 less than the staff nurses
- $19,863 less than charge nurses
- $27,526 less than front-line managers
"The data make it clear that compensation remains a significant barrier to building the nursing faculty workforce," said David Armstrong, project director at the Center for Health Workforce Studies. "Nurses who are highly educated and experienced often have to accept a pay cut to teach the next generation. If we want to expand nursing program capacity and address workforce shortages, we must ensure that academic roles are financially competitive and professionally supported."
Nursing Faculty Shortage
A 2023 survey by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), found the average national nursing faculty vacancy rate was 7.8%. While the percentage may seem low, it equaled 1,977 full-time faculty vacancies in 922 surveyed nursing schools with BSN and/or MSN programs. Additionally, the schools needed to create another 103 positions to meet the application and admission demands, but couldn't. Most of the vacancies (79.8%) were faculty positions requiring or preferring a doctoral degree.
There are several reasons for the ongoing nursing faculty shortage, besides salary, including:
- Faculty age remains high, with the average age between 47.5 and 61.2 years.
- Degree requirements with an increasing number of accredited programs want doctoral-prepared educators.
- Most MSN/DNP programs are producing Nurse Practitioners over Educators.
- The number of MSN Nursing Education programs is significantly lower than other MSN degrees.
As a result of the ongoing nursing faculty shortage, AACN’s report on 2023-2024 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, nursing programs turned away 65,766 qualified applications from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2023. Faculty shortages were the top reason for not accepting all qualified applicants. Other reasons included:
- Clinical sites
- Classroom space
- Clinical preceptors
- Budget constraints
Of those applicants denied admission, close to 5,500 qualified master’s applicants and almost 4,500 qualified doctoral applicants.
The survey also revealed:
- BSN enrollment is slightly higher than the previous year, but still markedly down fromthe peak in 2021
- Bridge RN-BSN program enrollment is down, a decrease for the 5th consecutive year
- Direct-entry RN program enrollment has remained steady
- Master's programs for nursing decreased by almost 1%, a third year of decline
- PhD in nursing programs declined by 3%, marking the 10th year of decline
- DNP enrollment increased
A more recent survey (2024) found that in over 800 nursing programs, 57.8% of schools had vacant full-time faculty positions for the 2024-2025 academic year, and another 16.6% required more faculty but lacked the budget for full-time positions.
The results of this study have been released and are currently being analyzed and interpreted.
Recommendations
Researchers at the Center for Health Workforce Studies made several recommendations to help close the pay gap and increase the number of nurse educators. These recommendations include, but are not limited to:
- Offering scholarships, loan repayment, and other incentives to attract nurses to academic roles.
- Providing mentorship and support for new faculty.
- Ensuring faculty workloads are manageable and aligned with core educational responsibilities.
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