By
Laura Michels
Posted: Wednesday, May
17, 2006 at 5:26 PM
A new batch of nursing
graduates may help combat the nationwide nursing
shortage.
The number of registered
nurses leaving the profession will outweigh the number
of nurses entering by 2016.
|
Nursing students
study for the state board exam at Illinois State
University.
|
The national demand for
registered nurses will grow almost 30 percent by 2014.
That demand will be accelerated by the retirement of 77
million baby boomers by 2012.
Nursing school graduates
from around the state filled up an Illinois State
University auditorium to study for state nursing boards
exam.
Many of these students
will help fill in the gaps at local hospitals.
St. Joseph Medical
Center recruits by offering hands-on internships while
students are still in school.
"If they come to a
hospital during their nursing education and have a good
clinical experience, then the likely hood of them
selecting this as a place to work is higher," OSF. St.
Joseph Medical Center chief nurse executive Deborah
Smith said.
Nursing students said it
seems keeping students in the program is the hardest
part.
"The programs are hard,"
nursing student Jessy Thomas said. "And if you can't do
it, if you don't have the dedication and study skills,
you are not going to make it through."
Hospital officials said
other problems fueling the nursing shortage are the lack
of qualified nursing faculty and the high workload that
can lead to quick burnout.
