No Surprise--More Money Needed to Increase Nursing Ranks

Two years ago I interviewed a highly esteemed professor of nursing, considered to be an expert regarding the critical nursing shortage that we are experiencing now and which is expected to mushroom in the next 12 years. He remarked that to fix the problem congress must step up to the plate and appropriate money. He suggested a billion dollars would be needed to do the trick; an amount, he claimed, "that is nothing."

A shocking statement, I know, but his remarks should be put into the context of ‘everything being relative.’ Considering the astronomical amounts of money being spent by our country on other endeavors, a billion is sounding smaller all the time.

In January 2007 Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) sponsored and introduced S446 Nurse Education, Expansion and Development Act 2007. A simple explanation of the proposed bill is that monies, in the form of grants, will be awarded to schools of nursing that meet certain requirements, for the purpose of increasing nursing faculty and students. As you might expect, the bill in its entirety is somewhat more complicated. I am not privy to the amount of funding being sought, or even wished for (a billion?).

I’ve always heard that the wheels of government turn slowly and this bill must be an example of that grind. The bill was proposed over a year ago and, short of phoning some very busy in-the-know people, I have been unable to find evidence that any action has been taken.

Congress, show us the money!