PORTLAND, ORE. – The Oregon Center for Nursing (OCN) today released “Oregon’s Nurse Faculty Challenges,” a new infographic to raise awareness of the underlying issues related to recruitment and retention of nurse faculty.
A 2014 survey conducted by OCN showed a majority of nurse educators are over the age of 55, and five out of 10 nurses report planning to retire within the next 10 years.
“The wave of retirements is already taking place,” said OCN Executive Director Jana R. Bitton. “Our research shows the number of faculty members retiring is only going to increase in coming years. This will put a huge strain on our nursing education system, which will affect Oregon’s ability to educate the next generation of nurses.”
The survey results also showed despite an overall satisfaction with their jobs, 62 percent of Oregon nurse faculty still feels a pull to leave their positions. The top reasons nurse faculty report considered leaving include needing higher pay, wanting a more manageable workload, and a desire to return to patient-focused care.
The survey of nurse faculty is a continuation of research OCN has conducted on Oregon’s nurse faculty workforce since 2008. The infographic released today will be followed in June 2015 by a full report on the nurse faculty.
The “Oregon’s Nurse Faculty Challenges” infographic can be downloaded at the OCN website at www.oregoncenterfornursing.org.
OCN is a nonprofit organization created by nursing leaders in 2002 with a mission to ensure a superior, well-prepared and diverse nursing workforce to meet the health and wellness needs of our communities. OCN is recognized by the Oregon state legislature as a state advisory around workforce issues, and fulfills its mission through nurse workforce research, building partnerships around leadership, recruitment and education, and advocating for nursing and healthcare. For more information about OCN, please visit www.oregoncenterfornursing.org.
