Legislators descended on Olympia this week to convene a series of work sessions, meeting in person for committee activity for the first time since March 2020. In the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee, Washington State University presented during a discussion on the nursing workforce shortage regarding a funding ask to support the College of Nursing’s reaccreditation effort.
Just as the state faces a shortage of nurses, WSU is wrestling with retaining faculty and staff producing nursing degrees. Until recently, faculty and staff salaries in the College of Nursing have been at the 25th percentile of peer institutions and 25th percentile among nurses with similar credentials. The university used reserve funding to temporarily cover a salary enhancement, but on Thursday articulated the need for state funding to pay for it on an ongoing basis.
You can watch WSU’s testimony on TVW at the link below:
https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2022121081&startStreamAt=6306