Caring for the Future: Recruiting and Retaining Health Care Educators

1. Caring for the Future: Recruiting and Retaining Health Care Educators American Association for Community Colleges Annual Conference Long Beach, California April 24, 2006 National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

2. Panel of Presenters • Pat Harris, RN, MS • District Director of Health Care Education • Maricopa Community College District • Barbara R. Jones, PhD, • Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs • Louisiana Delta Community College, Monroe, LA • Janell, Lang, EdS • Dean, Health Technologies Division • Owens Community College, Toledo, OH National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

3. Presentation Overview Community Colleges face challenges in attracting nursing and allied health faculty and administrators. Recruitment and retention strategies will be presented. National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

4. Goals • To identify challenges to health care faculty recruitment and retention • To present health care faculty recruitment and retention strategies • To review opportunities for collaboration in recruitment and retention of health care faculty National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

5. Oh, the Challenges We Face Pat Harris, RN, MS District Director, Health Care Education Maricopa Community Colleges National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

6. One minute foundation:“Just the Facts, Ma’am” • There’s a significant, long lasting shortage out there. • Thousands of qualified applicants are turned away each year from healthcare professional educational programs because of capacity issues. • Funding for program operations and student scholarships are more available in the past, but often times there is a lack of human capital to secure funding. National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

7. More Brief Facts • Professional program accreditation establishes faculty requirements, resource allocation guidelines • State or Federal regulatory agencies set requirements for faculty qualifications and staffing ratios, particularly in clinical settings • Health programs are particularly demanding on faculty (clinical load) • Health professionals are not as diverse as general population National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

8. Three Legged Stool of Healthcare Education • Faculty • Shortage in workers, shortage in faculty, sometimes shortage in flexibility • Aging population, eagerly anticipating retirement • Brain drain—salaries, benefit packages • Funding • Lesser issue than before, but still looms • Facilities • Clinical space National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

9. Data Dearth • Nursing has a plethora of data. Forecasting is challenging, but can be done. • Allied Health is like a 1,000 piece puzzle. It is assumed that all the pieces will go together, but it’s challenging finding sufficient information on the big picture. • Some States have excellent data, others do not. Given the assumption that many models build upon State data, much is lost. National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

10. What data do we have? • Health and Human Services, The Registered Nurse Population: National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, March 2004 • Bureau of Labor Statistics • Various organizations Fact Sheets: AACC, National League for Nursing, professional organizations and regulatory boards • State workforce organization data National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

11. Nursing FacultyMarch 2004 National Sample of RNs • 40% of current nursing faculty teach in associate degree programs • Average Age is 46.8 years; doctoral prepared faculty average age is 55.7 • Age breakout of current faculty: • Highest group is 21% 50-54 years • 30% are over 55 years • 20% are under 40 National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

12. Nursing Faculty • Fewer graduate nursing students are choosing to be educators. Practitioner salaries are more enticing—and physician shortages are increasing opportunity for advance practitioners. • Some Universities adding post-masters certificate in Education, more needed • Small percentage (<10%) of nurses and allied health professionals hold Masters degree or higher National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

13. Allied Health Faculty • According to Fact Sheet issued in March 2003 by the Association of Academic Health Centers, allied health professions account for approximately 50 % of total US health workforce. • In this context, faculty shortages are among the highest of all health professions and are projected to increase. National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

14. Current HIM—15.4% Dietetics—15.4% Radiation Therapy—12.5% CV Perfusion Tech—10.7% Dental Hygiene—9.5% Within 5 years HIM—30.8% Dietetics—28.2% Radiation Therapy—18.8% CV Perfusion Tech—28.6% Dental Hygiene—19% Allied Health Faculty VacanciesAssociation of Academic Health Centers National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

15. Regional Influences • Direct influence on shortages, although the issues are national, on the most part • Urban versus rural settings. Easier to recruit health practitioners from urban medical centers than from rural facilities. Recruit young practitioners to be part-time or adjunct, develop for full time faculty. • Competitive programs—private colleges, career schools, and universities National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

16. Bottom Line Logic • In Allied Health, the number of full time faculty is sufficiently modest, so that vacancy rates are irrelevant to the situation: if you have one vacancy, you have a major problem. • In most cases, your faculty are being compensated well below market value. The satisfaction of educating others is not a selling point sufficient to match $20 K salary differences. • Nine month contracts are mixed blessings. National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

17. STRATEGIESRecruiting and Retaining Health Care Educators Janell Lang, Ed.S. Dean, School of Health Sciences Owens Community College Toledo & Findlay, Ohio National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

18. The “Tipping Point” • The point at which a crisis can become a disaster • One million nursing positions will be open by 2012 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) • As great a need exists in the Allied Health Professions • What remains hidden is the lack of qualified faculty to teach our students National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

19. The Test for Community Colleges: • How do we recruit and retain qualified nursing and allied health faculty while not breaking the bank? National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

20. Special Challenges • Qualified Faculty Shortages • Escalating Workforce Retirement • Faculty Demanding Higher Salaries • Difficulty Recruiting • High Attrition Rates • Inadequate Resources • Little On-the-Job Training • Lack of Recognition & Appreciation • Higher Workloads & Industry Demand National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

21. Some Solutions • A Competitive Labor Driven Market • Effective Orientation Programs for New Full and Part Time Faculty • Resource Guides • Professional Development • Tuition Reimbursement Plans • Ability to Maintain Currency in Clinical Area of Practice • Autonomy/Independence National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

22. More Solutions • A Mentorship Program • Optimizes Dwindling Resources • Utilizes Limited Faculty/Staff • Shortens Learning Curves • Supports Career Development • Seeds Faculty Leadership • Sets Higher Standards of Practice • Increases Confidence & Skills National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

23. Benefits of A Mentorship Program • Optimizes Shared Learning Experiences • Provides Networking • Strengthens Leadership Skills • Fosters Support • Improves Teamwork • Increases Job Satisfaction • Retains Experienced Faculty • Supports Classroom/Laboratory/Clinical Learning National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

24. Finally • “Growing Our Own” • Foster a sense of commitment in our current students to return to their roots and give back to the learning communities in which they prospered. National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

25. COLLABORATION Recruiting and Retaining Health Care Educators Barbara Jones, PhD Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Louisiana Delta Community College Monroe, LA bjones@ladelta.cc.la.us National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

26. Possible Solutions • Endowments for faculty positions • Grants • Funding • Job sharing • Recruitment • Flexible scheduling to supplement income • Benefits: time off, tuition waivers, flexible schedules, sabbaticals • Collaborations National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

27. Why Collaboration? • Limited financial resources • Limited physical resources (i.e., space, equipment, technology) • Limited faculty • Accreditation/regulations • Limited availability of expertise, established programs, and resources • Need for strong community/cooperative relationships National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

28. Institutional Partnerships and Collaborations • Employee/faculty sharing • Sharing of Classroom and Clinical space • Student tuition stipends or reimbursements • Equipment sharing • Grants for program development • Funds for faculty salary or program support • Endowments • Continuing education National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

29. Collaborations • Develop collaborations at the institutional, local, state, and federal level to: • Increase funding/off-set costs • Increase supply of students in the health career education “pipeline” – grow your own • Participate in development and best practices research • Increase and improvement of health care delivery to meet community needs National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

30. Collaborations - Local • Medical facilities - institutions • Faculty sharing • Classroom/clinical space • Distance learning • Funding for faculty and program development/expansion • Stipends for students – future employees • Tuition reimbursement for current employees – job advancement • Endowments for faculty • Equipment Donations • Medical facilities • Vendors • Local AHEC • Recruitment National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

31. Collaborations - State • Higher Education: Institution - institution • Distance Learning – sharing of experienced faculty • Remote site programs • Incumbent Worker Training Programs • Health Care Workforce Boards National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

32. Collaborations - Federal • National Health Systems (i.e., HCA) • Workforce Investment • HRSA - Allied Health Project Grants • Nursing Reinvestment Act • Proposed Allied Health Reinvestment Act (faculty loan program) National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

33. Questions and Answers? National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

34. Contact information • Pat Harris, RN, MS • pat.harris@domail.maricopa.edu • Barbara R. Jones, PhD, • bjones@ladelta.cc.la.us • Janell Lang, EdS • Janell_Lang@owens.edu National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges

35. Caring for the Future: Recruiting and Retaining Health Care Educators American Association for Community Colleges Annual Conference Long Beach, California April 24, 2006 National Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges