Abstract
The shortage of academic nurse educators (ANE) continues to rise in the US and poses a significant threat to the RN workforce. Addressing the ANE shortage is a complex process and requires support from multiple stakeholders.
This study aimed to establish a validated set of action statements for stakeholder groups, including professional organizations, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, policymakers, and the public and business sectors, to resolve the ANE shortage.
This study employed a modified Delphi process with a mixed method design to get consensus in two rounds from nurses across the United States (US). Previously identified actionable statements for each stakeholder group became the 42 proposed statements used in this study. The consensus benchmark was set a priori at a kappa of 0.7 and 75 % agreement among panelists. Panelists were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling across the US.
In Round 1, 646 panelists participated, with 272 in Round 2. Following the final analysis, a total of 36 action statements met the consensus. Final action statements focused on inter-sectoral collaboration among the stakeholder groups, concerns about ANE wages and benefits, and specialized educational preparation for ANEs.
Collaborations among stakeholders offer a pathway to enhance financial investment, streamline workforce development, and ensure quality education for future nurses to overcome the ANE shortage. The findings encourage a call to action for stakeholders to adopt context-specific strategies that align with national priorities to increase the recruitment and retention of ANEs.
•Addressing the academic nurse educator (ANE) shortage is a complex process and requires support from multiple stakeholders.•Action for stakeholder groups, including professional organizations, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, policymakers, and the public and business sectors, are needed to resolve the ANE shortage.•The major focus of the action statements that achieved consensus is on inter-sectoral collaboration among the stakeholder groups, concerns about ANE wages and benefits, and specialized educational preparation for ANEs.