Post-service training proposal clears Senate
A modified version of the “Troops to Teachers” program has been approved by the Senate.
This time, the wrinkle involves getting nurses who are leaving the military to consider jobs as nursing instructors in an effort to fill nationwide shortages in the profession.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-MARINEPAPER-1873580.php
By Rick Maze
Times staff writer
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., chief sponsor of the plan, which was adopted by voice vote as an amendment to the 2007 defense authorization bill, said he thinks separating service members could help solve a major problem in offsetting shortages in hospitals, clinics and emergency rooms across the U.S.
It might also help the military gain future nurses, he said.
“We do not have enough health care professionals. In particular, we do not have enough nurses in America,” Durbin said. “Unfortunately, the military faces the same difficulty in the recruiting and retention of nurses as [do] civilian medical facilities.”
The Army and Air Force have not met their nurse recruiting goals since the 1990s, Durbin said.
The Navy met its goal in 2005, but missed it by 32 percent in 2004.
“Ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have increased the need for qualified nurses in military medical facilities,” he said. “Our need for nurses is growing, and it is not surprising. An aging population needs help, specialized medical care that requires specialized nurses.”
Durbin’s amendment would create a five-year program that helps military nurses get credentials to become nursing instructors and would help place them in teaching jobs at nursing schools. It also would provide scholarships for Nurse Corps officers who become teachers but remain in a military reserve component.
Nursing schools could train more people if they have more teachers, he said.
Illinois State University rejected 100 qualified nursing applicants last year because it lacked enough faculty, he noted.
That is not an isolated problem. “Sixty-six percent — two out of three — nursing schools across the United States tell us they need additional faculty,” he said.
Durbin’s amendment builds on an existing program, Troops to Teachers, which encourages separating service members to become math, science and special education teachers in rural or urban schools.
“It is a terrific idea,” he said.
About 6,700 people have found jobs through the program, which has helped former service members pay for getting teaching credentials and has provided salary subsidies to schools hiring veterans.
About 900 nurses leave the military each year through retirement or completion of their initial obligation.
The troops-to-nurses program would provide transition assistance for those who already have a master’s degree or doctorate in a nursing field and are qualified to teach.
They could receive career placement, transitional stipends of up to $30,000 for a four-year commitment and help getting teaching credentials, he said.
Nursing instruction is not the only post-service job senators have in mind for service members. The Senate also passed an amendment asking for a report from the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security about the possibility of offering incentives for service members to become Customs Service and Border Patrol agents.