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Letters – 12/4
Need for nurses is great
When the economy is struggling and unemployment is on the rise, there is still one profession that is actively recruiting. According to the Washington State Department of Labor, there are nearly 5,000 registered nurse vacancies today, and this could grow to an astonishing 30,000, if nothing changes by the year 2020. There simply are not enough nurses to care for the growing number of patients. This shortage is only predicted to worsen in the coming decades. Recently released statistics show the following about nurses in your area:
n There are approximately 57 Registered Nurse vacancies in Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties (Source - Washington State Employment Security Department).
n Many nurses in these counties are of retirement age or close. The average age for practicing Registered Nurses (RNs) is 47.8 years old (Source - Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Washington).
n Male nurses are underrepresented in your area. Only 7.4 percent of all practicing RNs are males.
n There is very little diversity represented in these counties. 95.6 percent of practicing RNs are white. Less than 1 percent (0.3 percent) of RNs are Black/African American. Only 0.4 percent of practicing RNs in your area are American Indian/Alaska Native. Of practicing RNs in your area, 0.4 percent are Asian and 2.2 percent Hispanic.
The Washington Center for Nursing (WCN) is focused on solutions to these issues. WCN exists to ensure that there are enough nurses to take care of all the people who need their care in the state. After studying nursing education in our state as a Washington Department of Health grant requirement, WCN developed a Master Plan to transform nursing education in our state. Another solution to our shortage is our ongoing statewide outreach to portray accurate images of the nursing profession that will appeal to and attract diverse and additional populations.
— Linda Tieman, Executive Director
Washington Center for Nursing
