Managing the pipeline: an interview with Dean Sheila Haas on preparing nurses and faculty for tomorrow.(Leadership Roundtable)(Loyola University )(Interview)

AS STAFFING COORDINATORS across the country struggle to find enough staff to care for patients in the next 24 hours, schools of nursing struggle to find enough faculty to teach nursing students during the next semester. Our fondest wish has come true. Interest in careers in nursing has been renewed thanks to the efforts of giants like Johnson & Johnson through the "Campaign for Nursing's Future" and through grassroots community efforts. We have successfully reignited interest and promise in the opportunities in nursing. However, just as the population of staff nurses ages, so does the population of nursing faculty.

In an interview with Sheila Haas, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean of Loyola University Chicago's Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, common challenges faced by schools of nursing across the nation are explored in the context of uncommon and creative local solutions. Dr. Haas has held her position as dean since 1999, and has served as faculty since 1978. In past professional activities, she has served as President of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing and of the National Federation of Specialty Nursing Organizations.

Like other schools of nursing, the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing received over 850 applications for 125 freshman seats along with 350 applications for 60 accelerated BSN seats for the 2003-4 academic year. The school of nursing has two academic departments: health promotion, primary care, health systems, and dietetics; and acute, chronic, and long-term care nursing. Graduate programs include a dietetics internship and master of science in nursing (MSN), as well as nurse practitioner, clinical specialty, and nurse administrator; and a doctoral degree in nursing (PhD). Certificates in spirituality and spiritual care, informatics, and nutritional counseling; and an accredited dietetic internship program are available along with several…