Becoming a nurse is probably a great idea. You can do it with minimal credentials (associate degree or less), it’s a fast-growing field, and in 2012 the median registered nurse made upwards of $65,000.
It’s such a great idea that it would be a shame for special interests and policymakers to ruin it for everyone. In my latest piece at the Pope Center, I report on how various advocacy groups insist on the need to credentialize the profession, just as the law establishment rid itself of the LL.B in favor of the J.D. An influential 2010 report called for 80 percent of nurses to get a bachelor of science in nursing or higher by 2020.
The report’s influence has extended to the North Carolina Community College System, — the State Board of Community Colleges is undergoing a six-month study to consider offering four-year BSNs to meet the expected demand, something five other states have begun doing. This would mean a mission change and name change for any college participating, according to accreditation expert Marcy Stoll. Maybe the UNC system could use some good, hard competition, but we could be heading down a slippery slope of degree inflation and increased costs.
Any potential crisis isn’t likely going to be immediate, but one thing North Carolina could do now to create a healthier environment for nursing jobs is to ease up on nursing practitioners — our “scope of practice” regulations put us among the most restrictive states, as JLF’s Katherine Restrepo tells me.
