By Amy Curtis | May 2024

In this issue: National Nurse's Month roundup; May Research Committee recording; Funding opportunities; Retired Kansas nurse returns from Ukraine.

This newsletter is 1400 words long, about a 7-minute read.

National Nurse’s Month: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Throughout National Nurse’s month, several groups took the opportunity to release new features and reports on the nursing workforce.

Here’s a roundup of stories you might have missed:

The Good… Kansas Hospital Association shares positive health care stories

Screen grab of KHA video

Recently the Kansas Hospital Association highlighted four Chief Nursing Officers in their campaign to show the public positive messages about working in health care.

Why it matters: When news about the health care industry is negative, it can alter future healthcare worker's perceptions of seeking education or employment in the sector.

With the potential shortage of nurses in the near future, positive messages are key to inspiring the next generation of nurses.

Check them out!

The Bad… McKinsey report shows urgent impact of Covid-19 on nursing workforce

McKinsey issued a report this month estimating that the national nursing workforce gap will be here by 2025; only a few months away.

Their analysis predicts a 10-20% gap in direct patient care nurses. They say to meet this demand, the United States would need to more than double the number of new graduates entering and staying in the nursing workforce every year for the next three years straight.  

The authors offer four broad ideas to meet this need. Note, many of these ideas are similar to those heard in our Center’s listening sessions:

Between the lines: The authors acknowledge that churning out new nurses is only one way to solve this shortage of direct care nurses. Technology additions and retention of the current nursing workforce are also key.

They predict that for every 1 percent expansion of capacity, created through changes in care delivery models, technology-enabled productivity tools, or alternative sites of care settings for patients, the number of nurses needed would decrease by about 25,000.

Alternatively, they estimate that for every 1 percent of nurses that leave direct patient care, the shortage worsens by about 30,000 nurses.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the workforce challenges that are likely to persist over the short and medium term. However, respondents from the McKinsey Frontline Workforce Survey in March 2022 who had left direct patient care said a more manageable workload, increased total compensation, ability to take time off, and being more valued by an organization would be the most important factors they would consider when evaluating a return.”

The Ugly… Kansas again at top of hospital vulnerability lists

Axios reports that rural hospitals are on the “financial knife edge”, according to recent studies by Chartis and the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR).   

This news follows the story in Axios that rural hospitals are on the “financial knife edge”, according to recent studies by Chartis and the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR).

The Chartis study showed that 43% of rural hospitals were operating in the red last year compared to 50% this year; the single largest change in percentage in a 12-month period that they have been tracking.

And according to the CHQPR study, Kansas finds itself at the top of the risk list again, coming in second. Kansas currently has 101 rural hospitals, 82% of which have losses on services; 56% that are at risk of closure and 26% at risk of immediate closure.

CHQPR also issued a report on maternal care and their outlook for Kansas isn’t much better than the rural report, ranking us fifth with 58% of Kansas hospitals having no OB services and an average drive time of 32 minutes to the nearest facility with OB services.

Why these studies matter: In Rural Kansas, hospitals are often the largest employer so the economic viability for small towns rests with the health of their hospitals.

Additionally, for a town to grow, they need access to labor and delivery services and good maternal outcomes to grow their population. There is a higher risk of complications and death for both mothers and babies in communities that do not have local maternity care services. Women are also less likely to obtain adequate prenatal and postpartum care when it is not available locally.

Nursing is STEM update: Petition submitted

The coalition pushing the federal government to officially designate nursing as a STEM profession submitted their petition to the Department of Homeland Security on May 15. 👏👏👏

Funding Opportunities

During a recent webinar by the National Forum of Nursing Workforce Centers, they noted several websites that are helpful when searching for grants and funding.

Check these out when you are seeking funding:

Catch up quick: May Research Committee Meeting

The Research Committee has grown considerably, and we are excited to welcome all new members.

Watch a recording of the May Research Committee meeting where Aimee McDonald, PhD, RN, Nurse Researcher at Kansas City VA Medical Center, shared about her research "Nursing research at the KCVA: Successes and opportunities identified".

Next month we will hear from Christine Pabico, PhD, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, Director of the Pathway to Excellence Program at the American Nurses Credentialing Center, about “Pathway to Nursing Excellence Program.” 

Led by Shin Hye Park, PhD, RN, the Research Committee, facilitates and promotes collaborative nurse research activities across the state.

The committee's goal is to leverage research talent to better serve the healthcare community of Kansas, advance the field of nursing and healthcare and strengthen the nursing workforce in Kansas.

The next scheduled meeting is June 27, 2024 from 10-11 a.m.

You can sign up here to receive the meeting link. Please forward to colleagues who may also wish to attend.

Watch it now.

Retired Kansas nurse returns home from Ukraine

At the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center, we have a theory that once you become a nurse, you’re always a nurse. Darlene Timmerman, MSN, RN, illustrates why.

According to this Fox4 news article, Darlene recently returned home after volunteering with Global Care Force, who’s mobile medical units provide ongoing care to the people of Ukraine. Headquartered in Olathe, their mission is to connect volunteers with organizations that serve people in need.

“I was just kind of looking and thinking about what I wanted to do in retirement that was purposeful and meaningful,” Darlene said. “Something that was really important to me.”

Darlene traveled across Ukraine with seven natives and two other volunteers, visiting rural villages that didn’t have access to medical care. The team set up mobile clinics and treated civilians for both chronic and acute illnesses.

Bravo, Darlene!

The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center is actively exploring ideas to keep retiring nurses engaged after retirement. Want to imagine with us? Drop us a line.

Welcome to the profession!

As commencement season winds down, we want to extend a huge welcome to all the new nurses soon to enter the Kansas workforce. We love seeing photos and stories of newly graduated students as they embark on their careers.

We’ve been working hard to produce a new report, “The State of Nursing in Kansas Report, 2024”. This report will debut at the September Kansas Organization of Nurse Leaders meeting and Kansas Hospital Association conference.

This report will be the source of credible information about nurses and nursing in Kansas. It is based on collected data from disparate sources, original, and attributed research. It will serve as a vital resource for workforce research, decision making and program development, as well as the formulation of public policy and funding plans.

The State of Nursing in Kansas Report, 2024 is the first in a series of reports that will help stakeholders:

Sincerely,

Amy Garcia and Barbara MacArthur

Kansas Nursing Workforce Center

What We’re Reading

Recycled but important: NCSBN survey underway! 

The 2024 National Nursing Workforce Survey, administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, is underway!

Nurses nationwide and in Kansas will be selected at random to participate in the survey. Those nurses who complete the survey will help us keep vital workforce issues at the forefront.

It is critical that Kansas nurses participate.

The information you share helps us inform the people making decisions about the Kansas nursing workforce.

About the 2024 Survey and Results

Have Kansas Nursing Workforce news, solutions, or kudos you’d like us to share?
Email nursingwill@kumc.edu

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