Nurse.com - Michigan Attacks Nursing Shortage
How does Michigan's report card look on nursing? The state gets high marks when it comes to the newly passed budget that allocates $5 million to the profession.
"In the troubled Michigan economy where big names like Ford announced a 15 percent decrease in its salaried workforce, government funding positions nursing strategically to address the shortage," says Jeanette Klemczak, RN, MSN, chief nurse executive, Michigan Department of Community Health in Lansing.
Thousands of nurses needed
In 2010, Michigan is expected to have a shortage of 7,000 RNs, and by 2050 the state will need 18,000 nurses, says Klemczak. This need might increase as the estimated 6,000 Canadian nurses and medical personnel who work mainly in the southeastern part of the state consider leaving the state. Economic factors such as the devaluation of the U.S. dollar and higher wages in Ontario might make working in Canada more attractive.
According to a May 15 article in the Oakland Business Review, the trend is contributing to the current shortage of an estimated 4,000 RNs. "The solution to the shortage is not to attract and retain Canadian nurses, but rather to train Michigan residents for the positions," says Klemczak.
Support for education
Much of the new monies will be earmarked for educating nursing faculty.
Nursing was front and center in Gov. Jennifer Granholm's 2007 State of the State message, which proclaimed that the Michigan Nursing Corp would provide rapid preparation of master's-level faculty, clinical instructors, and doctorally prepared nurses.
At a time of severe budget crunch, nursing received $1.5 million in 2008 funding, a vote of support from the Legislature.
In terms of workforce diversity, the state has acquired a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
"Until we address and support faculty with regard to recruitment and retention of students from diverse backgrounds, we won't see success in the nursing practice community," says Klemczak.
In 2006 and 2007, deans of nursing programs were asked to send two faculty members to diversity summits. These faculty members would then be charged with championing diversity at their institutions.
The diversity summits were a collaboration stemming from Michigan's strategic plan for nursing that included the Office of the Chief Nurse, Lansing Community College, and the Michigan State College of Nursing. The goal was to help faculty develop plans and give them tools to take back to their colleagues. As a follow-up, regional minigrants to increase diversity will be available to nursing schools around the state.
Diversifying the workforce
As of January 2008, 40 percent of the schools of nursing in the state had submitted plans to the Michigan Board of Nursing identifying ways they intended to increase diversity within their programs. Prior to the diversity summits, only 20 percent of schools reported they had plans in place.
"We're making progress with increasing diversity among nurses," says Klemczak. "We believe that it's comforting for patients to see nurses who look like them, and it is the responsibility of all nurses to be culturally aware and sensitive," she says.
Klemczak says the state is fortunate to have a governor who "gets it" about nursing. As the person who created the chief nurse executive position and has supported an investment of $30 million in accelerated nursing education models and the Nursing Corp, "Gov. Granholm deserves credit for visionary leadership," she says.
Any thoughts or comments?
actually this shortage would happen in most of the states, not only Michigan;
why not come to China to find the solutions? China has a huge number of nurses, and if some of them get well trained and guided, they could work in america.
i am looking for someone who is interesting in this business, would be a great potential market.
what do you say?
Given the rate at which people are leaving the state this might be a bit of a high estimate. The problem with having a diverse work force extends through all levels of education. Due to the poor state most urban schools are in how do we expect minority students to be able to succeed in a nursing program, or other medical fields?
Barry Manilow didn't write I Write The Songs. Bruce Johnston did.
I'm not sure what your asking, exactly, regards to China & potential market. Programs are already in place [no, cannot cite specifics... my apologies] regards to foreign nurses coming to USA to work. Several years ago as a civilian nurse in Texas I worked along side Phillipino nurses that had recently came to the USA.Originally Posted by frankshaft
In fact, here is a R/T article; Philippine Nurses in the U.S.—Yesterday and Today:
...Today, immigrant nurses are still vulnerable, but it’s difficult to say how often exploitation occurs. Lowery, now a nurse consultant in New York, believes such practices are more likely to occur in remote areas of the U.S. where international recruiting efforts are relatively new. “We hear about it from time to time, but we don’t have the documentation [to prove it],” she says.
While some of the challenges faced by immigrant nurses from the Philippines are the same now as they were 20 or even 50 years ago, others are completely new. Today’s new arrivals encounter a much more complex work environment than that of a generation ago, including new high-tech equipment, paperless records, increased regulation, utilization review guidelines and new disease management concepts, to name just a few.
There are also more barriers to immigration, Seguritan says. These days, foreign-educated RNs applying for an occupational visa must obtain a visa screen certificate. This certificate is issued by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, an international authority on credentials evaluation of health care professionals worldwide.
The visa screen is an immigration requirement, not a license to practice in the United States. It determines whether the nurse has the equivalent of a U.S. license and education, can speak and write English adequately and has adequate medical knowledge. To get the visa screen, nurses must pass either the CGFNS certificate exam or the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s NCLEX-RN® exam.
The problem is, only the CGFNS exam—a pre-qualifier for the NCLEX—is administered in the Philippines. Outside the U.S., the NCLEX, which is required for licensing, is administered only in Hong Kong, London and Seoul, South Korea. Philippine nursing leaders on both sides of the Pacific are lobbying for the NCLEX to be administered in the Philippines to make the immigration process easier.
*Note to Admin; My apologies in hijacking this thread but wanted to help shed some light on frankshaft's similar repeated post(s).
Cary James Barrett, RN, BSN
Hijack, shmie-jack! Good grief, Soldier!
After posting this, gave it some thought: Everything boils down to NOT ENOUGH TEACHERS! Well, the vast majority...... Lack of tenure, the pay...(one gets more pay elsewhere). If I am missing a few points, help me out.
My comments on another thread were the main cause of the nursing shortage is not enough nursing programs... plenty of nursing students to fill the seats but not enough seats.Hijack, shmie-jack! Good grief, Soldier!
After posting this, gave it some thought: Everything boils down to NOT ENOUGH TEACHERS! Well, the vast majority...... Lack of tenure, the pay...(one gets more pay elsewhere). If I am missing a few points, help me out.
Cary James Barrett, RN, BSN
One topic we talked about in last semester was not enough qualified teachers, or they just didn't want to teach (higher $$ in hospitals, etc.). At least, that's how it is here. In fact, there's an 'incentive' if one goes back for the higher degrees/teaching.
I agree with the several of CougarNurse and ArmyNurse points. To speak for myself. I had planned to do my MSN in Education originally but, after seeing the low pay in comparsion to the amount of time required, research and writing desired by the universities and how the cost of education has risen, it just did not make sense. Tuition costs alone despite the scholarships out there have skyrocketed. I have 2 sons in college as well so, this is a definte consideration. Teachers are underpaid at every level and despite the love of teaching we must survive as well. It is a sad reflection on our society: How we treat the most vulnerable of our country: our elderly (nursing homes), our mentally disabled (lack of funding), and our children (education system no longer providing employeable workers or entrepreneurs as first intended). We must step up and be willing to pay for what we want or else we get what we have been receiving.
I wish there was a magic bullet for all this.
After substitute teaching for a year and a half, as a Computer Science teacher at the junior high and high school level, I had given consideration to teaching. I absolutely loved working with the kids and I was well received by the students and faculty. I had many teachers and principals beg me to come into the teaching field.
Unfortunately, due to the low pay and sole supporting my new family, I had to decline. I was bitter about it for awhile because, I thought I possessed the attributes of a great teacher. The kids confirmed it quite often. I had numerous students come up and tell me that they had learned more about computers in a couple of weeks than they had all semester by the regular teacher.
And, it's not the teachers fault. Many teachers are thrust into teaching positions outside the scope of their degree. What a terrible disservice to our kids and educators.
To compound things further, Texas is one of those states without an income tax at the state, county or city level. Texas funds education through property tax, which is high but, still not enough to meet the education sector's needs. One of those needs would be Teacher's pay. Teacher pay is so far behind the times it's a flat out miracle we have teachers.
I suppose what I am getting at with my previous post is this.
Why would a nurse with a 2-4 year degree and RN licensure put forth a heavy investment in more education to receive the same amount of pay, possibly no incentive; other than to change jobs into something that may be equally as stressful?
Love of teaching, while it may be a noble and selfless undertaking, comes with all the same bloody politics and red tape of academia that an ER nurse probably feels in the hospital environment.
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