Letter to The Legislator Responding
Letter to The Legislator Responding
Student’s name 2235 Frederick Douglass Blvd. New York, NY 10027 Student’s E-mail Address November 13, 2009
ORDER A PLAGIARISM FREE PAPER NOW
Name & Title of Legislator 2354 Rayburn House Office Building United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative Rangel: There is compelling evidence that the shortage of Nursing faculty has direct implications for worsening the already-critical nursing shortage that we are already experiencing in this country and puts American citizens at risk. As a constituent of District 15, a nursing student, and a consumer of health care, I am writing in support of House bill: H.R. 1460, the Nurses’ Higher Education and Loan Repayment Act of 2009. A report published by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, entitled Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices, concluded that while a “leaner nurse staffing is associated with increased length of stay, nosocomial infection and pressure ulcers” a “richer nurse staffing is associated with better patient outcomes”. I am sure you would agree that one of the most important goals of patient care is ensuring patient safety but in order to keep patients who are hospitalized safe, it is necessary that we address the nursing shortage in some important ways. While it has been well publicized that there is a nursing shortage, what has gotten much less airtime is the influence that the shortage of nursing faculty has on the overall nursing shortage, which, according to the US Department of Labor Statistics, will reach more than one million by the year 2016. In order to take steps to alleviate the shortage of nurses, nursing school enrollment levels must increase. The catch 22 becomes apparent when the effects of the shortage of nursing faculty are taken into account. Put plainly, if there is not enough faculty to educate the increasing number of nursing students needed to work toward alleviating the nursing shortage, then there is no end to the shortage in sight. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in “The Graying Professoriate” in its September 3, 1999 issue reported that “nearly a third of the nation’s full-time faculty members were 55 years of age or older in comparison to a decade ago, when only one-fourth were over that age.” This aging trend points to how critical is to immediately begin extraordinary efforts to greatly expand the pipeline of baccalaureate and master’s prepared nurses entering doctoral study so that they may begin to train the nurses and nursing faculty of tomorrow. Clinical practice and administration often pay substantially more than do faculty positions, making it less attractive for a student who may already have loans, to not only increase their loan burden but also to consider a career in academia a viable option. By promising loan repayment for those students who pursue academic careers, House bill: H.R. 1460 would go a long way towards removing some if the financial obstacles blocking the path to nursing students becoming members of the nursing faculty. I urge you to support and pass this important legislation. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, ____________________(Signature & title) Student Nurse, SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
Purchase answer to see full attachment
