ABSTRACT
The most important resource for doctoral nursing education programmes is the faculty (Wood and Ross-Kerr, 2003), if the stated purpose of doctoral education for preparing scholars and scientists who will develop disciplinary knowledge is to be fulfilled. Recruitment and retention of qualified faculty members creates a major challenge for leaders in developing and sustaining quality doctoral programmes. As nursing and nursing education advance worldwide, there is an increasing need for doctoral nursing programmes. Likewise, there is a growing need for qualified faculty to offer mentorship and guidance to graduate students studying in doctoral programmes. This chapter focuses on the worldwide faculty shortage in doctoral programmes, and possible reasons for such shortages. We will give examples of the prevalence of this faculty shortage in several countries and discuss the relationship between the nursing shortage in general and the faculty shortage in doctoral programmes. The challenges of faculty recruitment, retention and return will be discussed as well as the effects of faculty shortage on recruitment and retention of doctoral students. Finally, we will discuss creative solutions to the problems presented and give examples of strategies already in use to address faculty shortages in doctoral programmes.
