Abstract
Background: The academic nurse educator shortage has limited schools of nursing in accepting a steady pool of students interested in becoming nurses. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify strategies that professional nursing organizations can implement in order to address the nurse educator shortage. Professional organizations include specialty groups, nurse educators, accrediting bodies, and regulatory agencies, etc. Methods: A qualitative, modified nominal group technique was utilized. Nurse educators acting as participatory action researchers took part in the study. Stakeholders were identified and subgroups were formed to develop stakeholder specific courses of action. Findings: The professional nursing organizations subgroup identified four overarching themes. Through intentional collaboration, professional organizations can support increased compensation, recognition of nursing education as a specialty, and the need for specialized training. Conclusion: The synergistic effect of different professional organizations collaborating to promote the direction of nursing, including academic nurse education, is imperative. Professional nursing organizations are well-positioned as subject matter experts to address barriers that impede the educational preparation, recruitment, and retention of nurse faculty. The recommendations of this research serve as a foundation for future nurse educators to collectively advocate for the enhancement of the academic nurse educator role.