A successful University of South Carolina program that prepares future nursing faculty is expanding statewide to help address one of South Carolina's biggest healthcare workforce challenges.
Expanding Nursing Faculty Pipeline is a USC College of Nursing initiative that partners with Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina to prepare the next generation of nurse educators.
“This partnership reflects a shared vision for the future of nursing education in South Carolina,” says College of Nursing Dean Jeannette Andrews. “Developing outstanding nurse educators is essential to advancing our profession, and this collaboration represents an important investment in the future of nursing education across our state.”
The statewide initiative builds on a successful pilot launched at USC in 2022 that prepared eight doctoral nursing students for faculty careers, with every participant completing the program. This next effort will strengthen the pipeline of nursing faculty by supporting nine doctoral nursing students, three at each selected university, during the final two years of their degree programs.
Preparing faculty before they graduate
Fellows will be hired as full-time employees while completing their doctorates, giving them the invaluable opportunity to teach, engage in academic scholarship and work alongside experienced faculty mentors.
“Most universities recruit new faculty after they’ve finished their doctoral degrees. We’re taking a different approach by helping future faculty develop as educators while they’re still students. That gives them the experience, mentoring and confidence to step into faculty roles from day one,” says Liam C. Hein, the project co-principal investigator and a USC College of Nursing associate professor.
Addressing South Carolina’s nursing shortage
Those new educators are expected to help the three universities train an estimated 300 additional nurses by 2030. The first statewide fellowship cohort is expected to begin in August.
The statewide expansion was funded by the BlueCross® BlueShield® of South Carolina Foundation.
“Investing in nursing faculty grows and strengthens the entire health care system. Training new educators prepares future nurses to care for patients and families in communities across South Carolina. This collaborative effort between USC, Clemson and MUSC will have a lasting impact on the state's health care workforce, and we are proud to support it,” said Erika Kirby, executive director of the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation.
According to data published by the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, South Carolina has a shortage of over 5,300 nurses statewide, with that number projected to grow to almost 6,900 by 2035.
The fellowship builds on USC’s broader commitment to strengthening South Carolina’s nursing workforce through investments in student scholarships, faculty development, innovative nursing education programs and expanded clinical training opportunities. Efforts include opening a state-of-the-art clinical education facility, expanding pathways for registered nurses to advance their education and launching South Carolina’s first accredited nurse-midwifery education program.
The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.