The Missouri Nurses Association is speaking out after a recent decision by the U.S. Department of Education to classify graduate nursing degrees at a lower level than other medical degrees in the federal student loan system.
Jill Kliethermes, Executive Director of the Missouri Nurses Association, told Missourinet that this isn’t just a nursing issue — it’s something all Americans should be concerned about.
Jill-Kliethermes-Executive-Director-of-the-Missouri-Nurses-Association. -Photo-courtesy-of-the-Missouri-Nurses-
“The American Nursing Association actually have a petition going, and as of the week of Thanksgiving, over 200,000 people had signed that petition asking the Department of Education to correct this,” said Kliethermes. “We encourage everyone to visit RNAction.org to make their voice heard and sign our petition.”
Kliethermes told Missourinet that nursing education is already expensive, and this move could make the shortage of nurses even worse.
“The cost of attending for a nurse to pursue a graduate degree on average is around $30,000 per year,” said Kliethermes. “The funding is a huge issue for those who want to go back to school, so I think ultimately, yes, that is going to lead to more of the workforce shortage.”
Kliethermes said this decision does not help as Missouri is already one of the most restrictive states when it comes to advanced practice for nurses.
“We go to school, get educated, take our board exams, just like every other advanced practice nurse in the country,” said Kliethermes. “But in Missouri, we cannot go practice unless the physician signs a collaborative practice, essentially saying they will work with us. This will compound that by not having nurses essentially go back with that graduate degree. And one of the advanced practices and serve, particularly in those rural areas.”
U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo. 2nd District, is also weighing in, calling the Dept. of Education’s announcement misguided and saying she strongly disagrees with the decision.
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