Nursing education programs across the US face persistent challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified faculty. Over half of nursing schools had unfilled full-time positions for 2024–2025, and many cited budget limitations or difficulty finding faculty with needed specialties. Low compensation for nursing educators compared to nurses in clinical practice remains a major barrier, contributing to high turnover and limiting nursing program capacity to admit qualified students.

This article examines salary differences between nursing faculty and clinical nurses and identifies specific factors contributing to these disparities.