Nurses wanted for rural communities
Staff writer
Kansas, especially in rural areas, faces a shortage of nurses that is expected to become worse, a recent Kansas Nursing Workforce Center report shows.
Hillsboro Community Hospital executive director Mark Rooker said HCH employs 17.57 full-time equivalent nursing employees for inpatient, emergency room, and clinic operations.
No traveling nurses are employed there, and nurses typically work 36 hours a week.
He estimates no nurses are planning to, or likely to, retire in the next five years.
“I’ve come to understand that the reasons people choose to join or remain at a workplace are often deeply personal,” Rooker said. “Frequently, I hear that it’s the camaraderie among colleagues or the meaningful connections with patients that make the difference.
“At Hillsboro Community Hospital, we are truly fortunate to have an exceptional team that not only provides outstanding care but also supports and uplifts one another. I often say that our staff members have incredible hearts.
“We are committed to maintaining an exceptional work environment that fosters excellence in care and promotes healing.”
St. Luke Hospital in Marion has 21.5 FTE nursing employee positions in patient care roles. That count does not include nurses working in its nursing home or home health service.
Although the hospital occasionally needs to bring traveling nurses to fill in, chief executive Alex Haines said all nurses employed at present are regular staffers.
Haines guesses one to two nurses will retire in the next year.
Haines explained that the hospital’s efforts to recruit and retain nurses is to involve them in decision making, ensure their pay is fair market value, and waive staff members’ patient responsibility for care they get at the hospital.
Forces driving nursing shortages include the state’s aging population, licensed nurses using their degrees for non-clinical work, and insurance payer dominance, the work force center’s report says.
Other drivers include the effects of long hours on nurses’ own health and well-being, and situations in which a nurse is not able to see positive change in patients’ health or negativity from patients the nurse cares for.
The report says Kansas has seen nursing shortages and occasional surplus for many years.
The COVID-19 pandemic had effects on nursing.
Hiring bonuses and salary increases have been used by some facilities to recruit nurses. Facilities also have turned to contract nurses to fill employment gaps.
Statewide, 85% of registered and licensed professional nurses are actively employed in nursing. That’s fewer than the national average.
The report says enrollments in nursing education programs are down 39% over the last 10 years, and that 29% of RNs and 23% of LPNs are expected to retire during the next five years.
Taking care of home and family accounts for 72% of unemployed RNs in Kansas. The national average is 47%.
Disability accounts for 33% of unemployed LPNs, the report says.