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Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Sponsors Boise State Nursing Faculty

August 2009

The need for well-educated and qualified nurses has never been greater and will only continue to grow as the years progress. By the year 2020, we could have a shortage of 340,000 nurses in hospitals and nursing homes all across the nation. In addressing this shortage, we must assist not only those seeking to enter the nursing field, but also the teaching faculty who provide them with the required education. Well-educated students first require well-educated teachers.

The Idaho Governor's Task Force concluded that the nursing faculty shortage is an important issue to solve as we deal with an impending shortage of nurses in Idaho. In the report to the governor, the task force recommended the state "Increase the capacity to educate and retain nursing faculty by increasing opportunities in state for master’s and doctoral education, increase access through scholarship and loan forgiveness programs, and explore innovative approaches to increase salaries to be competitive with the private sector."

Understanding this need, Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health recently came forward with support that will allow nursing faculty member, Sara Ahten to continue her education and receive her doctorate in nursing. This will increase the total number of doctoral-prepared teachers in the Department of Nursing and enhance Boise State’s ability to educate the next generation of nurses in Idaho.

“As state-supported institutions, we cannot rely solely on the state to solve these problems,” says department chair Pam Springer. “We need to form public-private partnerships and rely on the vision and generosity of donors to find mechanisms to increase capacity in our nursing schools. The gift from Blue Cross represents an investment in the health of the citizens of Idaho.”