State needs nurses ? stat!

Ashley Allgaier

Brookings Register Online

The South Dakota Center for Nursing Workforce says hospitals in the state are bracing for a shortage of more than 2,000 nurses in coming years.

In order to train more nurses to fulfill the state s need, South Dakota State University s College of Nursing has already undertaken significant changes.

According to Roberta Olson, SDSU dean of nursing, the undergraduate program expanded in 2006 and will graduate an additional 64 students starting in spring 2008.

Accelerated degree plan

The college has added an accelerated nursing program that compresses five semesters of nursing requirements into nearly one year. It s a fast-track option for students who have completed a bachelor s degree in any field, thereby already completing prerequisite course work.

In 2002, the first class was admitted to the intensive accelerated program. Students attend theory and on-campus laboratory classes at the University Center in Sioux Falls and take on clinical rotations at health care centers in Sioux Falls and surrounding communities.

The program can boast very high retention rates as well as nursing exam pass percentages well above the national average. Such high marks are a source of pride in the accelerated and undergraduate nursing program, Olson said.

Ph.D. program added

SDSU also implemented a nursing Ph.D. program in 2005, a doctoral program intended to produce tomorrow's nursing faculty, researchers and healthcare administrators.

The College of Nursing is also making plans for a doctorate of nursing practice, a clinical doctorate focusing on the application of knowledge in the healthcare setting. It is aimed at attracting nurse practitioners as students.

In a best-case scenario, the program will interview for applicants to start the curriculum in fall 2008, if SDSU gains budget approval for the doctorate program from the South Dakota Board of Regents in May.

Working with Sim Man

Technology has also played a role in graduating bigger classes of nurses. On campus simulation labs at SDSU are utilized by nursing students to provide clinical hours, substituting some time in heath care centers with experience gained on high-tech mannequins.

The ?Sim Man? ? a high fidelity mannequin with a pulse, breathing rate, veins and voice ? can be programmed by computer to simulate a real patient. He was donated by Brookings Health System two years ago and is used by Brookings staff for competency updates in the summer.

If the hours of clinical work required by the nursing program for accreditation increases, following suit with pharmacy transitioning from a five-year to a six-year degree, such technology could play a bigger role in the classroom. Using the ?sim man? adds more experiential learning and hands-on clinical work in the classroom.

As universities strive to turn more students into nurses, hospitals are trying to figure out how to meet the aging baby boomer population s health needs.

Even with an 80 percent increase in nursing students in South Dakota during the past decade, the state is facing a shortage of nurses due to an aging population and fewer high school graduates.

More than short-term concern

Fred Slunecka, regional preident of Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center in Sioux Falls, said the shortage of trained personnel is more than a short-term concern.

??It isn t just the supply and demand this year and next year, said Slunecka. ??It s when we re going to look at the next 10 to 15 years of high school graduates going down, down, down, down, down, while for the next 30 years, the population is going to get older, older, older, older, older.

Supply and demand of nurses statewide are running nearly even. The state s nursing schools continue to increase class sizes, and health systems are taking action to attract nurses while retaining those already in the field.

??This is different than the regular ebb and flow, said Diana Berkland, vice president and chief nurse executive for Sanford USD Medical Center. ??It s really a demand-driven shortage.

In 2000, South Dakota ranked eighth nationally in the percentage of population 65 and older, at about 14 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2030, an estimated 23 percent of the state s residents will be 65 or older.

Need 500 nurses annually

Those baby boomers will need health care and more nurses to staff hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. That translates to a need for almost 500 new registered nurses per year to meet demand through 2014, according to estimates from the South Dakota Center for Nursing Workforce.

Consider that only about 66.4 percent of the average 570 yearly graduates become licensed on the first try, and the state actually would need 840 registered nurse graduates per year.

Also, the South Dakota Board of Regents estimates a 16.5 percent reduction in high school graduates in the state from 2001 to 2018.

That means hospitals must look elsewhere for nurses by recruiting non-traditional students and retaining older nurses. Avera McKennan recently gave $500,000 to University Center in Sioux Falls to help build a lecture hall on campus dubbed Avera Hall and to help pay for programming at the Osher Life-Long Learning Institute.

??We ve got to make sure people are interested in health care as a career, Slunecka said.

In Sioux Falls, registered nurses average $26.57 per hour, or about $55,000 per year, according to state labor department figures. The statewide average is $23.48 per hour.

Nurses getting older, too

As the state ages, it s no surprise that the age of the average nurse is increasing as well. During the next two decades, almost half the work force will be looking at retirement.

One saving grace is that many people are putting off retirement longer and working through their 60s and beyond. To keep those older nurses productive, hospitals are taking steps to make their work environments more efficient and to allow more flexible hours.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Ashley Allgaier at aallgaier@brookingsregister.com.