Nurse Educator Pathways: Turning Nurse Shortages Into Healthcare Solutions

Author: Bianca Stakes

Nurse shortages are not new in the United States, and in many cases, healthcare systems and higher education are putting a Band-Aid on a bruise with surface-level solutions. Hiring fairs and affordable nursing programs may provide short-term relief, but a long-term solution requires a holistic perspective and targeted approach to address root causes. The shortage isn’t just how many nurses we need, but who is preparing them.

If there aren’t enough nurse educators equipped to educate aspiring nurses, how can the nursing profession grow?

Systemic Strain: Educator Capacity Limits Workforce Growth

While demand for nurses continues to grow faster than average, higher education institutions are unable to admit more students into nursing programs due to faculty shortages, according to research conducted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Additionally, the AACN notes that lower numbers of nursing educators stem from:

·      High nursing faculty age, limiting the number of years to teach and increasing retirements

·      Better compensation in advanced nursing roles, keeping qualified candidates out of the classroom

·      Low graduation rates for nursing master’s and doctoral programs

If higher education institutions can graduate more qualified nursing educators, we can anticipate a cascade effect toward a growing nursing workforce with appropriate nurse-to-patient ratios and, ultimately, stronger patient engagement and care.

Education and Workforce Align to Forge Solutions

There are undoubtedly other contributors beyond nursing educator shortages that have led to today’s nurse crisis, but higher education has a substantial opportunity to step into this challenge with effective solutions. This requires intentional awareness and alignment with data-driven insights, such as those identified by the AACN.

In December 2025, Forbes spotlighted the power of higher education amid human capital crises. California State University (CSU) rallied institutions, employers and intermediaries to launch a 10-year initiative [DH1] committed to addressing local, dire nursing shortages. Their preliminary reports solidified nursing faculty depletion as a significant contributor.

Educator capacity is central to reimagining how higher education and healthcare systems respond to nursing shortages. CSU’s example shows momentum and how the two industries can align and collaborate, but it’s only the beginning. The next call is for higher education to ensure programs that equip nursing educators are affordable and flexible without sacrificing quality.

Partnerships That Strengthen the Pipeline

Workforce challenges require collaboration, data-driven insights and mission alignment. At Power Up Nursing, we support nurse staffing wellness and retention efforts in hospitals and healthcare organizations. It involves teamwork with devoted partners and sponsors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and address crises with solutions grounded in evidence.

American College of Education (ACE) is our exclusive education provider, and much like CSU, its mission is to address nursing workforce deficits with accessible, quality education pipelines. Through our partnership, we build seamless pathways for registered nurses (RNs) to earn BSN or MSN degrees, and for nurses with MSN degrees to become nurse educators with an Ed.S. or Ed.D. in Nursing Education.

Advocacy organizations like us have a unique opportunity to be part of what higher education is working toward – solutions that last. Advanced nursing education supports nurses interested in teaching, leadership and shaping the future of the profession. If we don’t ensure nursing leaders have the education they need in the way they need it, we will continue turning away aspiring nurses and watching the shortage disrupt patient care.

Making Nurse Educator Pathways Accessible

As nurses build experience and desire career advancement, they may want to teach, but there are real barriers, like time constraints and tight budgets. ACE proactively dissolves these challenges with fully online courses¹ at industry-low costs. Accessible coursework allows experienced nurses to advance their careers without sacrificing commitments or accruing unpayable debt. In fact, 87% of ACE students graduate without debt.²

Online nursing and nurse educator programs offer a practical workforce solution. From supporting RNs seeking to move into advanced nursing and/or leadership roles to equipping the next generation of nursing faculty, ACE is not only offering degree programs but addressing some of the most critical human capital strains in the nation. Initiatives that higher education can keep in mind include:

·      Making decisions based on data-driven insights that represent today’s workforce

·      Prioritizing fund allocation for experienced faculty and quality academic programs

·      Collaborating with like-minded, innovative institutions and organizations

Investing in Nurse Educators Offers High-Impact Workforce Growth

What Power Up Nursing and ACE aim to inspire is an essential shift from magnifying the nurse and nurse educator shortage to investing in impactful solutions. Nurse educators are foundational, not secondary. Without them, we can’t effectively support aspiring nurses or the patients they would one day serve. Turning students away is unacceptable, and we owe our frontline workers the education opportunities they deserve. Building accessible nurse faculty education pipelines is a need we can meet to grow the nursing industry for generations to come.

¹Select programs may require student teaching, an internship or practicum.

²Internal research conducted in November 2025