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  1. Admin
    Jun 3, '06 by NRSKarenRN
    ASU College of Nursing Announces Latest Findings on Nursing Shortage in Arizona

    Tempe, Arizona, March 3, 2006 -- Short-term improvements in Arizona’s nursing shortage are unlikely to prevent the state from the long-term crisis it is likely to face if measures are not taken to improve the healthcare workplace. Despite an increasing number of new nurses being licensed and rising nursing school enrollments, turnover of the current workforce remains high, according to results of a survey by the Arizona State University College of Nursing....

    ....Arizona’s Nursing Shortage Remains Among the Worst in the Nation

    The nursing shortage in Arizona, despite short-term gains, continues to be worse than in most other states. In acute healthcare settings in the U.S. the average number of RN’s is 3.3 for every 1,000 people but in Arizona the ratio is 1.9 RN’s to 1000 people, according to HRSA studies. For all levels of healthcare, Arizona has 681 nurses per 100,000 population compared to a nationwide average of 782 nurses per 100,000, a 20 percent difference, but an 8.4 percent improvement since 2002....


    ....Future strategies and program recommendations added as supplemental information to the task force’s original report include:
    • Work with federal legislators to secure matching funds for the Arizona Partnership for Nursing Education (APNE) Demonstration Project,
    • Expand the preliminary study on the variables impacting nursing care delivery to include long-term care, out patient and ambulatory care, and home health,
    • Provide on-going financial support for the Arizona Center for Nursing, pending approval from the National Centers for Nursing. The center will provide a virtual organization that will provide comparative data, workforce prediction models, and grant information for state, professional organization, and educational stakeholders.
    • Fund a multi-site study through the Arizona Consortium for the Advancement of Evidence-Based Practice to test the effects of placing advance practice nurses as EBP mentors in healthcare settings on nurse satisfaction, EBP beliefs, implementation, and nurse retention. This study would support survey findings that EBP has improved healthcare quality as well as patient outcomes, and could serve as a key strategy for increasing nurse satisfaction and decreasing turnover.
    The mission of AZCAEP is to improve healthcare quality, patient outcomes and increase nurse satisfaction through EBP. The ASU College of Nursing coordinated the establishment of AZCAEP which includes more than 50 hospitals, educational institutions, and healthcare providers throughout Arizona.

    “This study begins to take a hard look at the workplace to determine which factors contribute most to job satisfaction for nurses,” stated Pat Harris, district director, healthcare education, Maricopa Community Colleges and a task force member. “It is important to keep experienced nurses in the workplace, developing and mentoring new nurses as they graduate from educational programs. As healthcare needs of our state continue to grow with the increased population, it is crucial that more studies like this one be conducted to determine what factors will keep a nurse-population ratio sufficient for a healthy Arizona.”

    See full story: http://nursing.asu.edu/news/pr/nursingshortage.htm

  2. 4 Comments so far...

  3. Jun 3, '06 by burn out
    Way to go Arizona. I sounds like a better solution than the federal government has come up with to import nurses. I guess we will just be like cheap wine foreign or domestic.

    More states need to step up and follow Arizona..at least they are trying something.
  4. Jun 5, '06 by Faeriewand
    I think if they raise nursing salaries and improve work conditions then they would not have such a problem finding the nurses to fill vacancies or retaining them once they have them. I think that's what it comes down to.

    What are they paying in AZ anyway?
  5. Jun 5, '06 by Multicollinearity
    Quote from Faeriewand
    What are they paying in AZ anyway?
    New grads are starting out at $24 per hour in Phoenix. Beyond that I'm not sure. Many of the hospitals will pay up to $5000 per year for tuition for further nursing education (BSN, MSN, PHD) without an employment commitment, and with working as little as 24 hours per week! I think that is fantastic! I plan on obtaining my BSN and MSN this way, working part-time. Too bad it's 112 degrees here right now.
  6. Jun 6, '06 by nightnurse47
    Re this thread:
    I work at one of the biggest Tucson hospitals, I have been at this hospital for 15 years, I am certified in my specialty, have a BSN, been in nursing for over 25 years, I do extra work on special projects, sit on 4 committees and I am still only at mid range salary for the hospital at 30.00 hour.
    It is not unusual for a new hire to be brought in at or above my pay level, although we are not supposed to share this information.
    My understanding is that Arizona is one of the lowest paying states in the country.
    It is pretty disheartening, but I am here until the kids are done with school.