This is an incredibly difficult question to answer. One thing is certain. With or without Obama Care, there is going to be a tremendous demand for RNs. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching released a study in December 2009 indicating that nursing education programs need to increase their capacity by 90% to meet current and projected shortages.

So, my question is this. Is there anything in the Healthcare Reform Bill to address this problem of an ongoing shortage of RNs? Sadly, the answer is no. In fact, rather than creating incentives to double almost the number of nurses our country's schools are graduating, which is what the Carnegie study says we need, the bill has become another affirmative action program. Here's a synopsis of what the bill offers to graduate more nurses from our medical programs.

If a medical school desires to receive contracts and grants from the federal government, it must prove to the Health and Human Services Secretary that it operates under a quota system by training individuals from under- represented minority groups or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Is this really a solution to our nursing shortage? Or is it designed to garner support from minority voters at the expense of the needs of our nation's healthcare industry? You must understand that although this may alleviate shortages in some areas of the country with significant minority populations, other areas of the country will be hung out to dry, simply because there are not enough minorities to recruit. Isn't our nursing shortage too important an issue to become a political football?

There is nothing in the legislation to address the faculty/student ratio. This is the principal reason we aren't matriculating more nurses from our educational system. There simply isn't sufficient faculty to teach all those who apply. The number of faculty members qualified to teach nursing is dwindling. Their ranks are shrinking due to retirement and other factors. A meaningful reform package would address this problem. Instead, we get affirmative action!

Our government has but three options:

1. Adjust the faculty/student ratio to allow more students to enter nursing programs.
2. Create incentives that will increase available faculty.
3. Raise the number of work visas granted to foreign nurses.

Let's examine these options in a little more depth.

If we change the faculty/student ratio, there is the possibility that we will matriculate nurses with weaker skills. Scratch this one.

Creating incentives to increase available faculty does not seem to have a downside, provided it is not politicized.

Bringing in foreign nurses, is, in effect, outsourcing American jobs. Not a positive for our country as the manufacturing industry has clearly demonstrated. We already have an unemployment rate unprecedented since the Great Depression.

We must pressure our local, state and national representatives to address the nursing shortage in a manner that benefits our country, our healthcare delivery system and our people. There certainly must be other solutions to the problem beyond what I have proposed. Press our government officials to find the best solution, for healthcare, for our country and our people.