Wirt & Associates

j So It Continues

My last posting has been a while. In it I referenced my upcoming class and threatened to stop this blog if I didn't get an "A". Well, I'm back. Guess what that means?? Yes, I got my A. But that's not why I'm here. I see this blog as a way to comment on issues near and dear to my heart, my family, my education, and my profession - nursing, specifically rehabilitation nursing. Much has happened in the past few weeks. I've been back to Washington, DC for visits with my Members of Congress and I've also spent some time as a patient, having cataract surgery. Although the meetings in DC were interesting and fun, sometimes I have to wonder if anyone is really listening. A huge issue that must be addressed is the nursing shortage. That means funding for nursing education, not just tuition assistance, but funding to help nursing programs add faculty. Qualified students are being turned away due to the lack of qualified faculty to teach. According to an article from AARP, Virginia has fewer nurses than most states 624 per 100,000 residents. The national average is 746. Add to that the fact that our population is aging, creating a increase in the demand for health care services as most seniors have at least 1, if not 2 chronic health conditions. Don't forget that those who are aging include the nurses! AARP reported that the average age of registered nurses in Virginia was 47 in 2011, and by 2014 about half of Virginia's RNs will be at least 65 years old. Many nurses who would like to retire, or at least work part-time, have been forced to continue working due to the tough economic times. Should the economy turn around, guess who's going to be leaving the work force? Yes, those aging nurses, only making the shortage worse. A recent poll conducted by National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health confirm the shortage when it found 34 percent of patients hospitalized for at least one night in the past year said "nurses weren't available when needed or didn't respond quickly to requests for help."

Have I scared you yet? Is there a solution? Yes, increase funding for nursing education and nursing faculty development.!! Did I already say that? Well, sorry..it needs to be said again and again. But now for some good news.....according to the 2010 Workforce Data Center report, Forecasting Nurse Supply and Demand in Virginia 2008-2020, from the Virginia Department of Health Professionals, there will be a 43% growth in demand for nurses in the Commonwealth over the next 20 years. So, if you want a job, consider nursing. As my dad always said, "people are always getting sick, and people are always dying (not always the same people - but sometimes), so go into nursing or the funeral business and you will always have a job!" And to all you Members of Congress - supporting nursing education is a way to grow the economy, insure lots of really good jobs and take care of the aging citizens of the Commonwealth and the United States.