As you probably know there is a nursing shortage in America. The problem is only going to get worse. Many nurses are starting to reach the age of retirement and that will lead to an overall reduction in the nursing workforce. Furthermore, the baby boomers are reaching an age that they will need more healthcare services, which in turn would require more nurses. So, in essence, the number of nurses is decreasing and the demand for nurses is increasing, which means we have a nursing crisis.
Due to the high demand of nurses, the salaries of nurses have shot through the roof. This in turn has led to many nursing professors and teachers to leave education and join healthcare. Now there is a shortage of nursing teachers and professors as well, which means it is harder to educate new nurses to help solve the nursing problem.
It really is a big mess. However, there is one technology that is helping the cause, the Internet. Through online degree programs one teacher can teach many more students than is possible in a classroom situation. This is possible because the teacher does not have to devote time to give a lecture, instead he/she can focus on answering the students questions and concerns via email or a chatting system. This makes it easier on the teacher to help everyone and better for the students because they get more personal time from the teacher.
On top of that, most of the nursing teachers that are left are the ones that truly love to teach. The ones that wanted to leave teaching for healthcare have done so, or will do so very soon. Right now is a great time to do an online nursing degree, you get the best teachers, flexible learning time, and a very promising career ahead of you.
