There is a mounting nursing shortage in Central Ohio, and a local college hopes to alleviate the problem by welcoming interested students into its nursing program.
OhioMeansJobs reported there were 3,279 ads for registered nurses in Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties from Oct. 14, 2021, through Nov. 13, 2021
Dr. Sandra Walker, Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) dean of technical studies, said there were multiple factors influencing the current nursing shortage.
“Labor indicators predicted a looming shortage prior to the pandemic and of course the COVID pandemic has critically exacerbated the problem,” she told the Mount Vernon News. “Other factors that were already at play included an aging population, prevalence of chronic health conditions requiring nursing care, a lack of capacity in nursing education programs to produce more nurses, and an employer push toward higher education required of nurses which inadvertently pulled them away from the bedside. In the nursing education realm, there is a lack of nursing faculty as well as a high demand for and lack of appropriate clinical sites. These limit the ability of nursing education programs to increase enrollment capacity.”
Walker said that there are random programs that fund nursing recruiting and education, noting Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing as prominent funding program.
“There is not a unified, consistent approach that is dedicated to increasing the numbers of available nurses. Not all nursing candidates can access available grants, scholarships or other funds due to the required qualifications or limited funding,” she said. “Several nursing organizations such as OADN and AACN are advocating at the national and federal level to promote legislation that would support nursing.”
Walker added that there is a variety of available funding for training programs that COTC does offer.
“The greatest challenge is student enrollment which may be influenced by the low unemployment rate in the area,” she said.
Walked said that those interested in nursing should understand that obtaining a license can be tedious and require a lot of patience, along with studying.
“Depending on the student’s personal situation, there are multiple points of entry into the nursing career pathway; for example, a short-term certificate would prepare the student for work as an STNA (state tested nurses aide),” she said. “The student can complete a practical nursing program in less than one year and market demand for LPNs is at an all-time high. The student could later go on to an LPN-to-RN program to obtain their RN license. Once licensure is achieved, the potential employment opportunities are plentiful. Many health-care employers are also providing sign-on bonuses and tuition reimbursement, as well. COTC provides all of these in education options.”
