Solving the Nurse Shortage

The nationwide shortage of nurses has affected California as well, with a 10.6% vacancy rate that has forced reduced hospital operations and stirred concerns about the ability of health centers to continue meeting the basic care needs of the region. But, instead of just wringing its hands, the Hospital Council of Southern California is doing something about it.

Kathy Barry, who holds both a master’s degree in business administration and a degree in nursing, has been appointed director of the newly created Health Careers Information Center; she is already at work getting out the word about opportunities for both men and women in nursing careers.

Three levels of education in nursing are available: through community colleges, through the hospital-based training program at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, and through university programs leading to a bachelor-of-science degree in nursing. “There are openings at all three levels,” Barry reported.

Her job has been made easier by significant increases in base rates of pay--up 5% last year, up 10.1% this year. Translated into average earnings, including overtime and bonuses, that means annual pay of $32,780 and, in critical-care units, $35,380. “The increases are a step in the right direction,” Barry said. “We want people to know that nurses are making reasonable salaries.”

That will not solve all the recruiting problems for acute-care hospitals, where the shortage has the greatest effect. Fortunately, there are still many men and women committed to bedside care. Improved relations with doctors, who increasingly recognize the importance of making the most of nurses’ professional skills, also is helping, Barry reported. But part of her job is to let people know about the great variety of opportunities open to those entering the profession. Barry herself has worked as a nurse on a hospital’s general surgical floor, in the recovery room, in a hospital education program as a clinical instructor, and now as a nurse recruiter.

The campaign is being targeted on high-school students facing first career choices, and on older workers considering a new career. Questions from interested persons are being handled on a special information line at (800) 234-0080.