I would like to ask that regulation 18VAC90-27-60 regarding faculty qualifications for BSN programs be considered for revision specific to clinical faculty. 

With the current state of nursing, it is extremely difficult to find Master's prepared nurses who can function as clinical faculty. Those who do have a Master's degree are typically in a nurse practitioner role and either do not have the time to do a clinical rotation (due to working Monday-Friday at their NP job) or can only do a clinical rotation on a Saturday or Sunday (which is still not appealing to them due to most already working 5 days a week at their NP job). 

By current standards, it is allowed for a Preceptor to be BSN prepared. There are extraordinary nurses who have worked multiple years in the acute care setting and are BSN prepared. These nurses would make great candidates as clinical instructors as they are actively working in acute care settings and have a schedule that would allow the flexibility to work a day as a clinical instructor. We know there is a nursing shortage AND a nursing faculty shortage. We need to be innovative in our approach for nursing clinicals - but a large barrier to that is requiring the clinical instructors to be MSN prepared. Let's work towards a solution that can move Virginia forward in regards to nursing education!