Janet Allan became dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing in 2002 after serving as dean and professor at the University of Texas Health Science Research Center in San Antonio. She was one of nine nurses honored by the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health for her research on AIDS and HIV.

Q Nursing shortages are nothing new, but what makes this current one different?

A It’s not only a national shortage, but also an international one, and many factors have led to it. There are changes in hospitals, where 60 percent of nurses work. Every year, it becomes more complex, as we treat more acutely ill patients, and there’s a need for more nurses. In the ’90s, we had bad publicity about the work in hospitals, the long hours with not enough nurses to take care of patients. Budgets for higher education were cut. Last year, 42,000 qualified applicants to nursing programs across the nation were denied admission because of a lack of faculty and buildings. This lack of capacity created a perfect storm. It’s really a national public health crisis.

Q What’s the nursing shortage like in Maryland?

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A From 2000 to 2006, we were able to reduce our nurse vacancy rate at hospitals from 14 to 10 percent. Hospital directors say they can manage with a 7 percent to 8 percent vacancy rate. But this year, we jumped to 13 percent. If this keeps growing, it means more emergency room diversions, so if you’re in a wreck and need medical care, you’ll be turned away and have to go to a hospital farther away because there are no beds available. It’s frightening. This affects every person in the country because everyone needs health care or knows someone who does at some point. We have experienced nurses leaving because they are burned out. By 2010, we expect to need an estimated 7,000 nurses in Maryland. By 2015, 12,000 nurses. It’s daunting, especially with baby boomers, the largest demographic group, starting to retire.

Q What is Maryland doing to solve this crisis?

AWe started the Nurse Support Program II, which spends $8.8 million [annually] to help nurses go back to school to get their master’s so they can teach. With more faculty, we can have more students. The money is raised from one-tenth of a 1 percent tax on hospital profits. The state’s nursing schools and the Maryland Hospital Association will announce [today] a program that spends $35 million [in the first two years] and $25 million [in the third year] to hire more faculty. The problem is that a new graduate can make $60,000 a year at University of Maryland Medical Center and a faculty member with a master’s can earn $60,000 to $75,000, so what’s the incentive to go back to school?

Q Why have state leaders and others neglected nursing schools and given funding to other programs instead?

A The nursing community has not had a large voice. And the infrastructure and the equipment needed to teach nursing is also more expensive than what’s needed to teach business or English. When we have clinical rotations in hospitals, you need one faculty member for every six to eight students. So, to the individual who asks, “Why don’t you just put more students in the classroom?” we can’t.

Q How many qualified applicants does UMBC have to turn away each year?

A We turned away 400 last year. Our requirement is a GPA of 2.5 and above, but we have many who are much higher than that. We could admit a class where half the students have 4.0, but we don’t do that. Some people say, “Why don’t you just cover the lessons faster?” but when you are in the hospital, don’t you want the most qualified nurses taking care of you?

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

» Maj. Gen. Gale S. Pollock, acting Army Surgeon General and Commander, Army Medical Command

» Rear Adm. Carol A. Romano, chief nurse officer, U.S. Public Health Service

» Patricia Grady, director, National Institute for Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health

» Col. Janet Southby, chief nurse officer (ret.), Walter Reed Army Hospital

» Lisa Rowen, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nurse officer, University of Maryland Medical Center

FAST FACTS

» College enrollment: 660 undergraduate students, 837 graduate students, 117 doctoral students

» Student breakdown: Female, 88 percent; male, 12 percent

» Legacy: UM  established the first master’s and doctorate nursing programs in the world

» Alumni: More than 16,000 (60 percent of whom live or work in Maryland)

» Tuition: $3,445 per semester for undergraduate students

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com

The Examiner is taking an indepth look at colleges and universities throughout the state. Click here to read the entire series.