Lack of educators – Nursing forum divided on education standard

By CINDY GEORGE
The long-running debate about whether registered nurses should be required to have more than an associate’s degree punctuated the discussion in Houston on Monday during a national forum on the profession’s future.

More than half the nation’s nurses earn associate’s degrees before starting their careers. But some think the starting line should be bachelor’s degrees. It’s a sore point at a time when experts are predicting a significant national shortage of nurses.

Last year, the Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation convened nursing and health care leaders to begin a two-year Initiative on the Future of Nursing. The group’s report is scheduled for release in October, said committee chair Donna Shalala, University of Miami president and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Read More…