The News Tribune (Lite) - Fund state nursing programs or face critical shortage

TheNewsTribune.com
Section: Opinion

Fund state nursing programs or face critical shortage

KIM ARMSTRONG AND JUDY HUNTINGTON
Fourteen pioneering young women banded together a century ago to save lives – and the Washington State Nurses Association was born. Today, the story of nursing and the WSNA is one rich in history – a history that will soon need to be rewritten if residents of Tacoma and Pierce County hope to continue to receive quality care in the years to come.

The history of nursing in our state began simply enough. In the early 1900s, there were no standards or educational requirements to become a nurse. In fact, domestic, untrained nurses outnumbered trained, educated nurses 10 to 1 in those early years. Practically speaking, anyone could be a nurse.

One of the WSNA’s earliest achievements was to promote and support passage of the state’s first nurse practice act in 1909. While this act has been changed and amended throughout the years, protecting the public is still an essential part of the act.

In 1909, only one nurse sat for the newly implemented nursing exam. This year, more than 2,000 nurses will graduate as registered nurses in Washington and “sit” for their boards. The typical registered nurse graduate today is highly educated in the art and science of caring and excels at patient assessment and care coordination, critical thinking, expert judgment and the use of advanced technologies

Long hours for minimal wage and limited job security were the norm for nurses across the country and in Washington state until the early 1970s.

As new labor laws, collective-bargaining and the women’s movement changed the landscape for the professional nurse, salary and benefits grew, too. Yet more work remains to keep salaries competitive and improve working conditions for nurses – and to make the profession attractive to a widely diverse work force of men and women.

The challenges that face nursing now require even more dedication, passion and vigilance than at any other time in our 100-year history. The nursing shortage will reach a crisis stage if we don’t act quickly.

To meet the demand of our state’s growing and aging population, we must graduate 400 more registered nurses every year beginning in 2010, according to the University of Washington Center for Workforce Studies. This means 2,500 new nursing students must graduate in 2010 and increase by an additional 400 nurses each year thereafter.

At the UW School of Nursing, the latest admission statistics illustrate the daunting challenge: Of the 358 applicants who applied to the program this year, only 96 were admitted. The story isn’t much better at Highline Community College, which has a two-year program for registered nurses as well as a “bridge” program for licensed practical nurses to become RNs. Highline had 191 students apply to its program for fall, but it could only admit 71.

With strong support from other concerned organizations, the WSNA is working aggressively to increase funding to expand nursing programs, provide scholarships and loans for nursing students and improve salaries for nursing faculty. The latest data suggest a nurse who leaves patient care to teach will take a pay cut of 25 to 50 percent. This must change.

Patients will suffer if we don’t have enough nurses. Evidence-based research shows that care provided by registered nurses has a direct impact on patient outcomes and patient safety. The number and type of nursing staff available frequently play a part in why patients live or die and whether they experience unexpected complications or errors.

More nurses won’t solve the problem if we don’t retain nurses. Research conducted by WSNA in 2007 revealed that about 25 percent of those nurses surveyed were considering leaving the profession altogether. There are many reasons for this troubling statistic, including working conditions, staffing, safety and general economic circumstances.

Our pledge is to continue to work with nurses across the state, as well as employers, the Legislature and concerned citizens to make sure the story of nursing continues to be written for another 100 years.

Kim Armstrong is a registered nurse at Tacoma General Hospital and current president of the WSNA. Judy Huntington is the executive director of the WSNA, which represents 15,000 registered nurses in Washington, including more than 2,500 nurses in Pierce and Thurston counties.