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Front Page » Healthcare » New council to help hospitals, universities deal with nursing shortage

New council to help hospitals, universities deal with nursing shortage

Written by on July 19, 2022
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New council to help hospitals, universities deal with nursing shortage

Facing a dramatic shortage of licensed practicing nurses forecast in South Florida by 2035, Keiser University and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses have created an advisory council to help hospitals and universities collaborate to fill the gap.

By 2023, Florida workforce projections show a supply of 243,546 registered nurses but a demand for 267,355, a 91% supply adequacy, according to a 2021 report by the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida. By 2035, the report says, the percentage adequacy in registered nurses drops to 88%, with a projected 285,542 nurses and a demand for 322,928.

When it comes to licensed nurse practitioners (LPN) in the state, the outlook is a bit grimmer. The same report shows percentage adequacy of LPNs at 83% by next year, with a supply of 46,680 and a projected demand of 55,962.

So, the Nursing Advisory Council, headed by Adriana Nava, president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses; Gino Santorio, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center; Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association; Florida Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez; and Florida Rep. Marie Woodson, along other key healthcare stakeholders, educators and policymakers, was formed to “work together to define practical ways to address this challenge,” said Belinda Keiser, vice chancellor of Keiser University.

“Nurses, over the past several years, have certainly been a challenge to retain and recruit,” said Mr. Santorio. “Simply put, without action, the supply of nurses cannot and will not meet the demand of our communities.”

For the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area, in 2019, there were an estimated 10,100 LPNs and a demand for 13,419, covering 75% of the demand. By 2035, the projected supply is to be 10,590 LPNs to the area and the demand is to reach 17,911, covering 59% of the demand, according to the workforce projections report.

Nonetheless, when it comes to registered nurses in South Florida, supply was estimated to surpass demand at 101% adequacy in 2019, with a supply of 63,923 RNs and a demand for 63,182. It also is projected that, by 2035, the area will have 79,010 registered nurses and a demand of only five more.

“The impending workforce shortage in nursing is a significant issue that we are here to address,” said Ms. Nava, whose national association celebrates its 47th annual conference in Miami. “The past two years have been extremely challenging for the nursing workforce.”

A study from Incredible Health stated that 70% of Florida hospitals can anticipate critical nursing shortages in the upcoming years, and in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the demand for nurses will grow by more than 3,500 from 2022 to 2023, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

In 2019, there was an estimated shortage of 11,481 RNs in Florida, but US nursing schools turned away more than 80,000 qualified baccalaureate and graduate nursing applicants because they had too few faculty to teach them, said Sen. Rodriguez. “We know some of the main factors of the shortage include Florida’s aging population, poorly funded nursing programs and the lack of nursing faculty.”

Rep. Woodson said a major issue for nurses when it comes to retention is affordable housing. “A lot of nurses can’t even find affordable housing to come here and work, graduate from [a university] be able to work and live there.”

She added that, in the state legislature, policymakers are advocating for more nursing school funding. “A lot of students who would like to complete a nursing degree can’t afford to pay for it,” she said. “So, it’s a lot of work that we need to do, but this is something that we are going to look at and try to provide incentives.”

In 2020, the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration says it granted money to Florida universities through its nurse faculty loan program, including St. Thomas University, which received $349,843; Florida Atlantic University, which received $678,109; and University of Central Florida, which received $15,900.

In 2022, HCA, one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services, donated $1.5 million to expand the nursing faculty and give scholarships to increase enrollment at Florida International University’s nursing programs. The University of Florida was also awarded $95,455,000 for telehealth training, and Florida Atlantic University received $64,285 for a nurse education telehealth program. “These efforts are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Ms. Rodriguez. “We should keep working together to increase opportunities and create paths for those interested in becoming nurses.”

The newly formed council is to work to “collectively figure out what are the items that work” when educating nurses, said John McFadden, dean of Barry University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences and a council member.

Other members of the council include Florida Sen. Ileana Garcia; Dean of Nursing at Nova Southeastern University Marcella Rutherford; Florida Senators Darryl Rouson, Dennis Baxley, Shevrin Jones, and Lauren Book; President of St. Thomas University David A. Armstrong; Nursing Program Director at Keiser University Dr. Inela Brito; and Dr. Debra A. Toney, president of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Association.

“When we talk about the future, I’ve often heard that talent – the workforce – is vital, but also the number one currency today,” said Ms. Keiser.

“There is an opportunity, as we work on these important challenges, to make sure that we are identifying, communicating and encouraging those that have an interest in nursing.”

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