The newly formed "Nebraska Healthcare Workforce Collaborative" has requested $10 million from the state for more clinical training sites for nurses as a result of early discussions.
According to Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association and co-chair of the new partnership, such locations—where students receive hands-on training under the supervision of seasoned professionals—are a crucial step toward filling nurse vacancies more quickly.
However, he claimed that the lack of workers has created a sort of bottleneck in the clinical training procedure.
A bill to distribute the funding will be introduced on Tuesday, according to Seward state senator Jana Hughes. Hughes, whose daughter recently graduated as a nurse, expressed her concern about workforce shortages in a number of sectors, including the healthcare industry.
Her proposal would, among other things, provide financial incentives to nurses who want to work as professors and assist in educating aspiring nurses in clinical settings.
A bill to distribute the funding will be introduced on Tuesday, according to Seward state senator Jana Hughes. Hughes, whose daughter recently graduated as a nurse, expressed her concern about workforce shortages in a number of sectors, including the healthcare industry.
Her proposal would, among other things, provide financial incentives to nurses who want to work as professors and assist in educating aspiring nurses in clinical settings.
The new Healthcare Workforce Collaborative is planning a longer-term project that will require significant employer and worksite surveys. A greater understanding of workforce gaps, trends, and future labor demands in medical-related sectors would be provided by the data gathered, which would benefit educational institutions.
We've been seriously lacking "taking a bigger step back and putting together a statewide plan, and we're kind of paying for that right now," Nordquist said.
The state's labor crisis continues to be the most urgent concern for hospitals and healthcare providers, according to collaborative participants in a statement. They claimed that Nebraska's rural areas should be especially concerned.
Jed Hansen, executive director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association and co-chair of the collaborative, stated, "We intend to break down old barriers and deliver practical answers to Nebraska's policymakers.
"The task is too huge for one group to solve on their own," said Nordquist.
Figures raising a red flag
According to the Nebraska Center for Nursing, by 2025 Nebraska will experience a shortage of 5,435 nurses. Nine counties in the state have no registered nurses, four have just one, and 73 have fewer registered nurses per 1,000 patients than the national average.
According to Amy Reynoldson, executive vice president of the Nebraska Medical Association, 58 of the state's 93 counties have been identified as "shortage areas" for family physicians, and all but two have been identified for at least one primary care specialty.
The partnership includes professionals from pharmaceutical to behavioral health. Another member is the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce.
Participants intend to examine state regulations and look on other approaches to the workforce issues.
According to Jalene Carpenter, president and chief executive officer of the Nebraska Health Care Association, a member of the coalition, "inadequate funding, onerous regulations, inflationary wages, and Nebraska's consistently low unemployment rate create the perfect storm for workforce challenges in Nebraska's nursing homes and assisted living communities."
What a $10 million request and a new coalition take aim at health care worker shortage
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