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TTUHSC DEAN SAYS NURSING SHORTAGE LOCAL, NATIONAL CONCERN
LUBBOCK -- An aging workforce, declining enrollment in U.S. nursing schools and increasing market demand are just a few of the reasons jobs for registered nurses are expected to grow 23 percent in the next six years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
And in today's increasingly complex health care system, a shortage of nurses, particularly RNs, is beginning to plague hospitals across the country.
"The pendulum has swung the other direction," said Alexia Green, Ph.D., dean of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. "Health care has been in turmoil during the past few years because of managed care, but now things are starting to change."
Green said during the past 10 years, managed care has focused on a business model of operating hospitals and has trimmed a majority of costs by decreasing nurse staffing. "They began to cut RNs and nurses with advanced training," she said. "This has led to a decrease in quality which in turn increases costs because many patients have to return to the hospital.
"Now because of public outcry, hospitals are increasing nursing staffs," she continued. "It doesn't pay in the long run when patient satisfaction is down and errors increase."
Many hospitals are now offering signing bonuses and other incentives, such as relocation bonuses and tuition reimbursement programs, to recruit nurses. In Lubbock alone, there are currently at least 230 nurse vacancies.
Green noted that declining enrollment in nursing schools poses a challenge in meeting the increasing demand for nurses. According to Harvard Nursing Research Institute, enrollments across the U.S. dropped by 20.9 percent from 1995 to 1998.
"Students have other options," Green said. "Many people today are seeking opportunities in technology or other areas, leaving traditional service-based jobs like teaching and nursing unfilled."
Green noted that another issue facing nurses and society as a whole is the continuing nursing shortage in long-term care. "The demand for RNs in nursing homes will continue to intensify as the population of elderly with complex care needs continues to grow," she said.
TTUHSC's School of Nursing plans to address this need by increasing enrollment in both its undergraduate and graduate education programs. A new specialty in geriatric nursing care and long-term care administration, including the preparation of geriatric nurse practitioners, is being developed.
Green also stated that she is working with the Texas Nurses Association and other policy makers to develop strategies to address the nursing shortage from a local and statewide perspective.
"We need to increase the number of faculty and students in nursing," she said, "but more importantly, we need to train RNs with the right educational mix to be prepared for a health care environment that has grown increasingly complex."
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