Nurses top the list of fastest-growing occupations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. More new jobs are expected to be created for registered nurses than for any other occupation between 2002 and 2012, yet more than 1 million new and replacement nurses still will be needed.

The shortage opens up great opportunity and puts enormous pressure on the field of nursing. Today's nurses will be called on to fill leadership roles earlier in their careers, and many will need to teach, as well as practice, if the profession is to work itself out of the labor shortfall.

A report issued by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) showed that U.S. nursing schools turned away 32,994 qualified applicants to baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2004 because of an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space and clinical preceptors as well as budget constraints. There's a dire need for nursing faculty.

"Many nurses need more education and different skills to move into managing and teaching jobs, but with full work schedules and families, they don't know how to fit in going to school," said Marion G. Anema, Ph.D., RN, faculty chair for the MS nursing program at Walden University.

"We heard in our focus groups that a flexible schedule was crucial," said Ana Sanchez, PR director for Laureate Education Inc., Walden University's parent company. "Nurses needed a program that would accommodate their work and family obligations, while allowing them to meet their professional and personal goals. We knew online education could do that."

Last year, Walden University launched a two-year MS degree in nursing program with two tracks: education, and leadership and management. Addressing the need for more educators for LPN, AND and BSN nursing programs, the education specialization is designed to prepare nurses with the skills and confidence to be teachers. The curriculum is based on the National League for Nursing's Core Competencies for Nurse Educators.

"Nurses are teaching every day. They educate their patients, staff and their communities. When you ask nurses who needs education skills, the answer is 'everybody!' " Anema said.

Following the same guidelines used to create the essentials of magnetism for Magnet hospitals - the American Nurses Association's scope and standards for nurse administrators - the leadership and management track is designed to equip nurses to participate effectively in the management of their work settings.They'll learn about system structure, layers of responsibility, health care finance, budgeting and human resources.

The program is taught in eight-week courses in an asynchronous context. "The material is organized in weekly vs. daily
format, so that nurses can do the work in manageable chunks on their time off," said Anema.

In addition to online education, students gain practical field experience working with university-approved faculty coordinators close to their homes.

Doctoral-prepared nurses from around the country deliver the online material, which goes far beyond text.

"There are DVDs for every course, where nursing leaders talk about major issues or specific case studies," Anema said. "They will view how nurses deliver care on a Navajo reservation and how a `mock' ethics committee addresses a specific
incident in a hospital.

"Students meet with one another and their professors in chat rooms and during scheduled office hours. Counseling is
available by phone as well.

"There are multiple ways for students to interact and learn, and one of the bene fits of online education is that they'll be learning with a diverse study body," Anema said. "When you put someone from a small Wyoming hospital with someone
from a metropolitan medical center, they both learn more about the whole continuum of care. That's enriching.

"The courses have been very well-received and are growing quickly. We have 785 students enrolled - a mix of nurses
who want to become nursing faculty, move into administration, or who are already in management positions and want
to do their jobs better."

Through 2006, tuition is $16,088 for associate-prepared students (who need a year of prerequisite courses) and $10,148
for baccalaureate-prepared students. Many students receive tuition support from their employers.