After years of slowly expanding their nursing program, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire finds themselves having a hard time expanding their program in order to maintain an equal ratio of workers to patients. Nursing programs across the nation are fearing the shortage of nurses that may occur in the next few years. Babies born after the Second World War are now reaching the age of retirement and are entering the next stage where their bodies may need more care. Not only are there going to be a lot of people for the younger generations to take care of, but this age group of 50-65 years olds is expected to live a much longer life. Eau Claire has confronted this issue and has worked hard to prepare for the future.

Over the years Eau Claire has steadily grown their nursing program by expanding their curriculum to another campus in Marshfield, WI. This allows more students to major in and graduate with a nursing degree. They have also started a program that allows people with a degree in a Bachelor of Science to apply and come back to school for a two years to get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

However after all this hard work, Eau Claire is finding it difficult to keep the momentum going. Eau Claire struggles to expand their program due to set backs that do not allow them to expand their buildings or increase their staff members. A lot of these set backs have to do with the budget constraint, but faculty shortage correlates more to the complications people have to go through to become a nursing professor or instructor.

According to Registered Nurse Jeanne Greene, the process of becoming an instructor is very complicated and timely. Being an instructor requires extra schooling that is offered at times that most working adults are not available.

Interim Associate Dean as well as Professor, Debra Jansen, states that Eau Claire is also encountering a shortage of clinics available for the students to work in. There are only a certain number of long term care facilities in one area and there are only a certain number of spots a long term care facility can allow for students to work.

One problem Eau Claire does not have to worry about is finding people passionate and interested enough to apply for the nursing program as major. Jansen assures that that has never been a problem and it does not look as though it will be a problem in the future.