1.This Act may be cited as the
Nurse Education, Expansion, and
Development Act of 2007
.
2.The Congress finds as follows:
(1)While the Nurse
Reinvestment Act (Public Law 107–205) helped to increase applications to
schools of nursing by 125 percent, schools of nursing have been unable to
accommodate the influx of interested students because they have an insufficient
number of nurse educators. It is estimated that—
(A)in the 2006–2007
school year—
(i)66.6
percent of schools of nursing had from 1 to 18 vacant faculty positions;
and
(ii)an
additional 16.7 percent of schools of nursing needed additional faculty, but
lacked the resources needed to add more positions; and
(B)41,683 eligible
candidates were denied admission to schools of nursing in 2005, primarily due
to an insufficient number of faculty members.
(2)A
growing number of nurses with doctoral degrees are choosing careers outside of
education. Over the last few years, 22.5 percent of doctoral nursing graduates
reported seeking employment outside the education profession.
(3)In 2006 the
average age of nurse faculty at retirement is 63.1 years. With the average age
of doctorally-prepared nurse faculty at 54.7 years in 2005, a wave of
retirements is expected within the next 10 years.
(4)Master’s and
doctoral programs in nursing are not producing a large enough pool of potential
nurse educators to meet the projected demand for nurses over the next 10 years.
While graduations from master’s and doctoral programs in nursing rose by 12.8
percent (or 1,369 graduates) and 13.1 percent (or 56 graduates), respectively,
in the 2005–2006 school year, projections still demonstrate a shortage of nurse
faculty. Given current trends, there will be at least 2,616 unfilled faculty
positions in 2012.
(5)According to the
February 2004 Monthly Labor Review of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than
1,000,000 new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012.
3.Capitation grants
to increase the number of nursing faculty and students
(a)Part
D of title VIII of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 296p) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
832.
(a)For the purpose described in subsection (b), the
Secretary, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration,
shall award a grant each fiscal year in an amount determined in accordance with
subsection (c) to each eligible school of nursing that submits an application
in accordance with this section.
(b)A
funding agreement for a grant under this section is that the eligible school of
nursing involved will expend the grant to increase the number of nursing
faculty and students at the school, including by hiring new faculty, retaining
current faculty, purchasing educational equipment and audiovisual laboratories,
enhancing clinical laboratories, repairing and expanding infrastructure, or
recruiting students.
(c)
(1)Subject to paragraph (2), the amount of a grant to an
eligible school of nursing under this section for a fiscal year shall be the
total of the following:
(A)$1,800 for each
full-time or part-time student who is enrolled at the school in a graduate
program in nursing that—
(i)leads to a
master’s degree, a doctoral degree, or an equivalent degree; and
(ii)prepares
individuals to serve as faculty through additional course work in education and
ensuring competency in an advanced practice area.
(B)$1,405 for each
full-time or part-time student who—
(i)is enrolled at the school in a program in
nursing leading to a bachelor of science degree, a bachelor of nursing degree,
a graduate degree in nursing if such program does not meet the requirements of
subparagraph (A), or an equivalent degree; and
(ii)has not more than
3 years of academic credits remaining in the program.
(C)$966 for each
full-time or part-time student who is enrolled at the school in a program in
nursing leading to an associate degree in nursing or an equivalent
degree.
(2)In
calculating the amount of a grant to a school under paragraph (1), the
Secretary may not make a payment with respect to a particular student—
(A)for more than 2
fiscal years in the case of a student described in paragraph (1)(A) who is
enrolled in a graduate program in nursing leading to a master’s degree or an
equivalent degree;
(B)for more than 4
fiscal years in the case of a student described in paragraph (1)(A) who is
enrolled in a graduate program in nursing leading to a doctoral degree or an
equivalent degree;
(C)for more than 3
fiscal years in the case of a student described in paragraph (1)(B); or
(D)for more than 2
fiscal years in the case of a student described in paragraph (1)(C).
(d)For
purposes of this section, the term eligible school of nursing
means a school of nursing that—
(1)is accredited by a
nursing accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education;
(2)has a passage rate
on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses of not less
than 80 percent for each of the 3 school years preceding submission of the
grant application; and
(3)has a graduation
rate (based on the number of students in a class who graduate relative to, for
a baccalaureate program, the number of students who were enrolled in the class
at the beginning of junior year or, for an associate degree program, the number
of students who were enrolled in the class at the end of the first year) of not
less than 80 percent for each of the 3 school years preceding submission of the
grant application.
(e)The
Secretary may award a grant under this section to an eligible school of nursing
only if the school gives assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that, for
each school year for which the grant is awarded, the school will comply with
the following:
(1)The school will
maintain a passage rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for
Registered Nurses of not less than 80 percent.
(2)The school will
maintain a graduation rate (as described in subsection (d)(3)) of not less than
80 percent.
(3)(A)Subject to subparagraphs
(B) and (C), the first-year enrollment of full-time nursing students in the
school will exceed such enrollment for the preceding school year by 5 percent
or 5 students, whichever is greater.
(B)Subparagraph (A) does not apply to the
first school year for which a school receives a grant under this
section.
(C)With respect to any school year, the
Secretary may waive application of subparagraph (A) if—
(i)the physical facilities at the
school involved limit the school from enrolling additional students; or
(ii)the school has increased
enrollment in the school (as described in subparagraph (A)) for each of the 2
preceding school years.
(4)Not later than 1
year after receipt of the grant, the school will formulate and implement a plan
to accomplish at least 2 of the following:
(A)Establishing or
significantly expanding an accelerated baccalaureate degree nursing program
designed to graduate new nurses in 12 to 18 months.
(B)Establishing
cooperative intradisciplinary education among schools of nursing with a view
toward shared use of technological resources, including information
technology.
(C)Establishing
cooperative interdisciplinary training between schools of nursing and schools
of allied health, medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, optometry, podiatry,
pharmacy, public health, or veterinary medicine, including training for the use
of the interdisciplinary team approach to the delivery of health
services.
(D)Integrating core
competencies on evidence-based practice, quality improvements, and
patient-centered care.
(E)Increasing
admissions, enrollment, and retention of qualified individuals who are
financially disadvantaged.
(F)Increasing
enrollment of minority and diverse student populations.
(G)Increasing
enrollment of new graduate baccalaureate nursing students in graduate programs
that educate nurse faculty members.
(H)Developing
post-baccalaureate residency programs to prepare nurses for practice in
specialty areas where nursing shortages are most severe.
(I)Increasing
integration of geriatric content into the core curriculum.
(J)Partnering with
economically disadvantaged communities to provide nursing education.
(K)Expanding the
ability of nurse managed health centers to provide clinical education training
sites to nursing students.
(5)The school will
submit an annual report to the Secretary that includes updated information on
the school with respect to student enrollment, student retention, graduation
rates, passage rates on the National Council Licensure Examination for
Registered Nurses, the number of graduates employed as nursing faculty or
nursing care providers within 12 months of graduation, and the number of
students who are accepted into graduate programs for further nursing
education.
(6)The school will
allow the Secretary to make on-site inspections, and will comply with the
Secretary’s requests for information, to determine the extent to which the
school is complying with the requirements of this section.
(f)The Secretary shall evaluate the results of grants under
this section and submit to the Congress—
(1)not later than 18
months after the date of the enactment of this section, an interim report on
such results; and
(2)not later than the
end of fiscal year 2010, a final report on such results.
(g)To
seek a grant under this section, a school nursing shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
and assurances as the Secretary may require.
(h)Authorization of
Appropriations
(1)For the costs of carrying out this section (except the
costs described in paragraph (2)), there are authorized to be appropriated
$75,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, and
$95,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
(2)For the costs of administering this section, including the
costs of evaluating the results of grants and submitting reports to the
Congress, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2008, 2009, and
2010.
.
(b)
(1)Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study
and submit a report to the Congress on ways to increase participation in the
nurse faculty profession.
(2)The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the
following:
(A)A discussion of
the master’s degree and doctoral degree programs that are successful in placing
graduates as faculty in schools of nursing.
(B)An examination of
compensation disparities throughout the nursing profession and compensation
disparities between higher education instructional faculty generally and higher
education instructional nursing faculty.