I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3173
To create a pilot program to increase the number of graduate educated 
nurse faculty to meet the future need for qualified nurses, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 30, 2005
Mrs. MCCARTHY (for herself, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. 
BOSWELL, Mr. MCNULTY, Ms. HERSETH, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. OWENS, 
Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. FRANK of Massa-
chusetts, Mr. ALLEN, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. MOORE of Kan-
sas, Mr. LEACH, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, 
and Mrs. CAPPS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To create a pilot program to increase the number of graduate 
educated nurse faculty to meet the future need for quali-
fied nurses, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nurse Faculty Higher 
Education Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following:
(1) In their 2004 survey of 561 schools of nurs-
ing with baccalaureate and graduate programs, the 
American Association of College of Nursing found 
that U.S. nursing schools turned away 32,797 quali-
fied applicants. The National League for Nursing 
estimates that in the 2003–2004 academic year, all 
types of RN-preparation programs could not accom-
modate over 125,000 qualified applications. Insuffi-
cient faculty was the top reason cited by nursing 
schools for not accepting all qualified applicants. 
(2) The mean ages of doctorally prepared nurse 
faculty holding the ranks of professor, associate pro-
fessor, and assistant professor are 56.8, 54.6 and 
50.8 respectively and the average age of doctorally 
prepared faculty is 54.2 years. 
(3) The average age at retirement of nurse fac-
ulty is 62.5 years and it is expected that 200 to 300 
doctorally prepared faculty will be eligible for retire-
ment each year from 2005 through 2012 just as 
more than 1 million replacement nurses will be need-
ed. 
(4) The current faculty shortage will be greatly 
compounded in the next few years by the retirement 
of many of the current nurse faculty in the United 
States.
(5) Nursing salaries for faculty are not com-
petitive when compared to similarly educated nurses 
in clinical or administrative positions, as the average 
salary of a master’s prepared nurse faculty member 
in 2003 was $60,357 compared to $80,697 for a 
master’s prepared nurse practitioner working in an 
emergency department. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. 
Title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1133 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new part: 
‘‘PART E—NURSE FACULTY PILOT PROJECT 
‘‘SEC. 771. PURPOSES. 
‘‘The purposes of this part are to create a pilot pro-
gram—
‘‘(1) to provide scholarships to qualified nurses 
in pursuit of an advanced degree with the goal of be-
coming faculty members in an accredited nursing 
program; and 
‘‘(2) to provide grants to partnerships between 
accredited schools of nursing and hospitals or health 
facilities to fund release time for qualified nurse em-
ployees, so that those employees can earn a salary 
while obtaining an advanced degree in nursing with 
the goal of becoming nurse faculty.
‘‘SEC. 772. ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. 
‘‘(a) COMPETITIVE GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Sec-
retary may, on a competitive basis, award grants to, and 
enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, 
partnerships composed of an accredited school of nursing 
at an institution of higher education and a hospital or 
health facility to establish not more than 5 pilot projects 
to enable such hospital or health facility to retain its staff 
of experienced nurses while providing a mechanism to have 
these individuals become, through an accelerated nursing 
education program, faculty members of an accredited 
school of nursing. 
‘‘(b) DURATION; EVALUATION
AND
DISSEMINA-
TION.—
‘‘(1) DURATION.—Grants under this part shall 
be awarded for a period of 3 to 5 years. 
‘‘(2) MANDATORY EVALUATION AND DISSEMI-
NATION.—Grants under this part shall be primarily 
used for evaluation, and dissemination to other insti-
tutions of higher education, of the information ob-
tained through the activities described in section sec-
tion 771(2). 
‘‘(c) CONSIDERATIONS
IN MAKING AWARDS.—In 
awarding grants and entering into contracts and coopera-
tive agreements under this section, the Secretary shall 
consider the following:
‘‘(1) GEOGRAPHIC
DISTRIBUTION.—Providing 
an equitable geographic distribution of such grants. 
‘‘(2) RURAL AND URBAN AREAS.—Distributing 
such grants to urban and rural areas. 
‘‘(3) RANGE AND TYPE OF INSTITUTION.—En-
suring that the activities to be assisted are developed 
for a range of types and sizes of institutions of high-
er education. 
‘‘(4) PRIOR
EXPERIENCE
OR
EXCEPTIONAL 
PROGRAMS.—Institutions of higher education with 
demonstrated prior experience in, or exceptional pro-
grams for preparation of nurse educators or nursing 
faculty (or both). 
‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—Funds made available by 
grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this part 
may be used—
‘‘(1) to develop a new national demonstration 
initiative to align nursing education with the emerg-
ing challenges of healthcare delivery; and 
‘‘(2) for any one or more of the following inno-
vations in educational programs: 
‘‘(A) to develop a clinical simulation lab-
oratory in a hospital, health facility, or accred-
ited school of nursing;
‘‘(B) to purchase distance learning tech-
nologies; 
‘‘(C) to fund release time for qualified 
nurses enrolled in the graduate nursing pro-
gram; 
‘‘(D) to provide for faculty salaries; and 
‘‘(E) to collect and analyze data on edu-
cational outcomes. 
‘‘SEC. 773. APPLICATIONS. 
‘‘Each partnership desiring to receive a grant, con-
tract, or cooperative agreement under this part shall sub-
mit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and accompanied by such information as the Sec-
retary may require. Each application shall include assur-
ances that—
‘‘(1) the individuals enrolled in the program will 
be qualified nurses in pursuit of a master’s or doc-
toral degree in nursing and have a contractual obli-
gation with the hospital or health facility that is in 
partnership with the institution of higher education; 
‘‘(2) the hospital or health facility of employ-
ment would be the clinical site for the accredited 
school of nursing program; 
‘‘(3) individuals will also maintain their employ-
ment on a part time basis to the hospital or health
facility that allowed them to participate in the pro-
gram, and will receive an income from the hospital 
or health facility, as a part time employee, and re-
lease times or flexible schedules to accommodate 
their class schedule. 
‘‘(4) upon completion of the program, individ-
uals agree to teach for 2 years in an accredited 
school of nursing for each year of support the indi-
vidual received under this program; and 
‘‘SEC. 774. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated for this 
part not more than $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and 
such sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 suc-
ceeding fiscal years. 
‘‘SEC. 775. DEFINITION. 
‘‘For purposes of this part, the term ‘health facility’ 
means an Indian Health Service health service center, a 
Native Hawaiian health center, a hospital, a Federally 
qualified health center, a rural health clinic, a nursing 
home, a home health agency, a hospice program, a public 
health clinic, a State or local department of public health, 
a skilled nursing facility, or ambulatory surgical center.’’.
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