Career Outlook
Professional associations for each of the Health Professions on campus were contacted, and recurring themes regarding faculty shortage concerns were evident. The National League of Nursing has studied faculty workforce issues extensively and notes that each year since 2009 an increasing number of qualified students are turned away due to faculty shortages. Furthermore, the Labor Bureau of Labor and Statistics of Employment Projections, states that for 2012-2022, 35 percent more faculty members will be needed to meet expected demand for nursing alone. Also, 10,200 current nursing faculty members are expected to retire, mostly by 2022, creating a need for 34,200 new nursing instructors.
Graduates of the degree will be prepared to apply the skills that they have acquired to employment in the academic centers, as well as local, state and government positions in healthcare and education. Graduates’ skills will be in demand. For example, the National League of Nursing has studied faculty workforce issues extensively and notes that each year since 2009 an increasing number of qualified students are turned away from programs due to faculty shortages. The Labor Bureau of Labor and Statistics of Employment Projections states that by 2022, 35% more faculty members will be needed to meet expected demand for nursing education. But nursing is not the only health profession facing these shortages. The significant growth of physician assistant (PA) programs continues to create challenges for programs and educational institutions in recruiting and retaining qualified faculty.
Based on national data collected annually by the Physician Assistant Education Association, physician assistant program directors continue to rank the lack of available applicants as a significant barrier to filling open faculty positions. Physician Assistant faculty are in high demand yet few are academically prepared for the teaching, scholarship or service expected of the professoriate. The Bureau for labor and statistics anticipates the need for Pharmacists to grow by 6%, Dentists by 19%, and Social Workers by 16% through 2026. Each year qualified applicants are turned away from training programs due to lack of faculty in these disciplines. An advanced degree in Health Professions Education can contribute to the development of faculty with the skills needed for evidence-based teaching, research, and service expected of the professoriate.