Nursing Assistant Professor Ellisha Robinson watches as first-semester student Natalie Gallardo d...

Nursing Assistant Professor Ellisha Robinson watches as first-semester student Natalie Gallardo draws a simulated medication. (Photo by Steve Lemmons, Temple College)

Day shifts, extended holidays and Spring Break among benefits of teaching at the college level

 

There is a nursing shortage across the United States. To compound the issue, there is a growing shortage of nurse educators as well.

In Texas alone, there were 180 full-time and 116-part-time nurse educator vacancies reported by schools of nursing throughout the state in 2021, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies.

Temple College is not immune.

To combat the nurse educator shortage, Temple College is utilizing funds received from the Nursing Shortage Reduction Program, a grant designed to help with recruitment and retention of Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) faculty. The money will be used to provide current Temple College nursing faculty with market-adjustment and retention stipends as well as provide sign-on bonuses for new full-time faculty.

The College began experiencing a nursing faculty shortage in the fall of 2021 and currently has three open full-time positions in the ADN program and four part-time vacancies for clinical and simulation lab instructors. The drop in the number of full-time faculty imposes limits on the number of students who can be accepted into the renowned program.

“The top-tier quality of a Temple College nursing education is certainly still here, but the quantity of students who we can admit and still maintain that quality is in question,” said Tracey Cooper, MSN, RN, CNE, Temple College’s Division Director of Health Professions. “Just like nursing is a calling, nursing education is also a calling. Nurses who have the desire to give back to the profession by educating the nurses of the future are needed.”

Nursing Assistant Professor Shilo Covey assists first-semester student Sage Benson administer inj...

Who qualifies as a nurse educator?

Cooper said the qualifications needed to teach in the ADN program include completion of a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, preferably in education, but that is not required.

“We are able to hire someone while they are completing their MSN if they are within one year of completion,” Cooper said. “Nurses must have current practice experience in the area where they will be teaching.”

The full-time positions that are currently open Temple College are in Medical-Surgical Nursing and Mental Health. All full-time faculty supervise students in clinical. There are part-time openings for clinical instructors, which require one 12-hour shift a week, along with grading responsibilities.

The Simulation Lab has part-time openings between 10-19.5 hours per week, for nurses who have completed their Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Why teach?

Cooper said one of the biggest barriers to hiring qualified nursing faculty is supply and demand. The national nursing shortage has driven up nursing salaries.

However, teaching at the college level can provide a number of benefits that nurses who work long nights, weekends and through the holidays might find appealing.

Some of the benefits of a career in nursing education at Temple College include:

  • Day shifts Monday through Friday
  • Holidays off with extended time at Christmas
  • Fall and Spring Breaks off
  • 9-month contracts, which allow nursing faculty to take summer vacations or even pick up extra work during the summer months
  • State benefits, including paid insurance for the employee

Cooper said Temple College nursing programs are among the best in the state with National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rates consistently above the state and national levels in both the ADN and Vocational Nursing programs. 

“Temple College’s nursing program has long been a standard bearer in the industry. To maintain that exceptional reputation, we need to continue to provide the best training possible to our nursing students. We are doing everything that we can to retain our current faculty and to hire new faculty to teach the next generation of nurses,” she said.

Learn more

To learn more about the open faculty positions, view the employment listings on Temple College’s website, contact Cooper at tracey.cooper@templejc.edu or call 254-298-8648.

Are you ready to make a change?

Watch the videos below to hear from Temple College nursing faculty about their work and the change they are making. 

ABOUT TEMPLE COLLEGE

Temple College is “Your Community’s College, a dynamic and growing community college that equips thousands of students throughout Central Texas and beyond with the knowledge and skills for 21st-century success. Temple College offers more than 75 degree and certificate programs to students who seek to earn credits for transfer, graduate with an associate degree, or complete a certificate for fast entry into the workforce.

Founded in 1926, Temple College has enjoyed an excellent academic reputation for 97 years. It is nationally recognized for excellence in its programs, from visual and performing arts to competitive athletics. The College has become one of the state’s premiere institutions for health care providers’ education and training, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development programs. The faculty and staff are committed to providing exceptional quality instruction.