They can t work that hard any more and they want to work part-time. Those who do leave rarely remain in the profession and that contributes to another problem a shortage of faculty to teach nursing skills, said Ann Lynch, vice president of communications at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. Lynch said her hospital also has added on-line recruiting and offers bonuses and scholarships to those candidates who leave other fields to enter nursing. We have a whole host of things we re trying, Lynch said. But you realize you re trying to build a new base of students that could come several years down the road.
Hospitals also try to contend with competition for high-paying jobs.
Among the standard benefits St. Mary s offer to nurses, Brown said the hospital also could soon start a child care program to meet the needs of working mothers on-staff. We feel like our benefits are really generous, but you ve got to be able to focus on the young women and help them recognize the opportunities that are available to them, Brown said. Welch said the Nevada Hospital Association formed a task force last year to address the nursing shortage in the state. He said they hope to sponsor a forum early next year that would allow educators, legislators and healthcare agencies to discuss ways to make nursing more attractive. Hospitals can t deal with it by themselves.