Nursing shortage felt across the country
“Everyday when I leave my job I want to make sure that I made a difference in somebody’s life,” said Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare registered nurse Diane Martin.
In the 60’s the federal government stepped in to alleviate the nursing shortage.
Fast forward 50 years later the industry is once again struggling.
“Short staffing has always prevented us from doing a good job,” said Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice registered nurse Nadereh Nasseri. “So when that happens I think that’s a dangerous situation which we face quite often.”
The American Nurses Association believes 1 million nurses will be needed by the year 2022.
“We the baby boomers of even my age are retiring within the next 10-15 years,” said Martin. “So we’re going to need replacements for all those nurses.”
Health studies and nurses also attribute the nationwide nursing shortage to an aging population with many medical needs.
Plus nursing programs that can’t find enough teachers and once that job is landed lots of stress.
“Burnout after a few years of practice because of the emotional demand of their profession,” said Nasseri.
The Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice in Salinas says the majority of their clients are adult seniors and baby boomers.
They too struggle to find qualified nurses.
“We do require that the staff member has clinical experience and that’s one of the challenges I think in the field of nursing,” said Jane Russo, director of business development.
They’ve amped up their recruitment efforts.
“Really strong employee benefits is a really strong hiring piece,” said Russo.
Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare says it’s also doing more to attract young nurses, by partnering with Hartnell College, offering several programs for students to train.
“It works out really great where we educate and train nurses to different areas in the hospital,” said Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare registered nurse and director of emergency services Carla Spencer. “So that’s what you’re going to see a lot more of now.”
The American Nurses Association also believes the shortage is a result of recent healthcare reforms which give millions of people access to healthcare creating more of a need for nurses and other medical staff.
