Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • November 3, 2010 Ridgewood What if New Jersey ran out of teachers and schoolchildren were left in the lurch? What if state police and fire academies had fewer and fewer instructors each year? An equally devastating, yet quiet crisis is brewing in nursing programs across the state. Many do not have, or because of pending retirements soon will not have, enough faculty members to teach nursing students. The looming nurse faculty shortage could have damaging repercussions for the health and health care of New Jersey residents for years to come. The New Jersey Nursing Initiative is working to ensure that does not happen. This month, NJNI named 20 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Jersey Nursing Scholars. Two of those recipients are Jamie Boman, BSN, RN, from Montvale, and Catherine Carlton, BSN, RN, from Ridgewood. Both are earning MSN’s in nursing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. NJNI is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the New Jersey Chamber of Com- Village nurse receives scholarship from foundation merce Foundation. RWJF New Jersey Nursing Scholars receive generous benefits and support to help them complete their graduate or doctoral studies. Upon graduation, Scholars have the opportunity to receive financial incentives if they become faculty members at schools of nursing in the state. Because the incentives are available for a period of up to three years, there is an increased likelihood that Scholars will remain in state nursing programs to educate the next generation of the New Jersey’s nursing workforce. “There is no question that we are facing an alarming nurse faculty shortage in this state. But thanks to NJNI’s work, we are creating the framework for lasting solutions. The RWJF New Jersey Nursing Scholars are a critical part of this strategy,” said NJNI Program Director Susan Bakewell-Sachs. “Last year, we welcomed our first class of 29 Scholars, and we are proud to announce our second and final class of 20, who will begin their studies this fall. Our faculty preparation program is showing enormous promise, and we expect great things from our Scholars in years ahead.” Bakewell-Sachs is dean of the School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science at The College of New Jersey. The goal of NJNI is to increase the number of nurse faculty in the state, so there will be enough nurses to meet the needs of state residents. The Faculty Preparation Program has awarded $13.5 million in grants to New Jersey-ased nursing programs and education collaboratives. Each Scholar has received a scholarship covering tuition and fees, and a $50,000 per year stipend to cover living expenses for the two to four years spent as full-time students. Many current nurse faculty members are approaching retirement, and there are not enough replacements But STILL can’t lose that Tummy or Cellulite? Call me about VelaShapeTM A NEW Nonsurgical method of Fat reduction and body contouring • Non-invasive • No Anesthesia • No Downtime Beverly Dunn, MD Waldwick, NJ • 201-445-0032 Dieting? Working Out? in the pipeline to fill their positions. Few practicing nurses have the qualifications to teach; only nine percent have a master’s degree, and just one percent of registered nurses have a doctorate. That is due to significant challenges to becoming nurse faculty, including the prerequisite that all nurse faculty obtain at least a master’s degree. Many nurses practice first and get advanced degrees later. The lack of available scholarships has caused many nurse faculty members to pursue their graduate studies part-time. The median time span for nurses to proceed from masters to doctorate is now 15.9 years. As a result, the mean age of nurse faculty prepared at the doctoral level is 54. Because these nurses continue their education later in life, nurse faculty may not have long full-time teaching careers. NJNI is attracting younger nurses to faculty roles; they are likely to enjoy a significantly longer teaching career than the average nurse faculty who joins mid career. For more information, visit www.NJNI.org. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful, and timely change. The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy organization based in Trenton. Created in 1911, the organization’s staff represents its members on a wide range of business and education issues at the State House and in Washington. The organization also links the state’s local and regional groups on issues of importance through its grassroots legislative network. Just a Click Away! www.villadom.com Thousands r of Readers Ove se and Above Tho ur Who Receive O Paper! Visit Our Website: Free Direct Links to Advertisers’ Websites! Read Our Other Editions Too! Current & Past!