GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Despite a decline in new COVID-19 cases, the nursing shortage isn’t getting better.
A new report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association shows vacancy rates for registered nurse positions more than doubled from 2020 to 2021.
Chief Nursing Officer at Bellin Health, Laura Hieb, says the same can be said locally.
“I can probably tell you probably over the past two years we’ve probably had a 5% impact on our overall retention,” said Hieb.
Hieb says a retiring workforce is partially to blame, but the prime catalyst is travel nursing which typically pays more.
“Many of them have a plethora of opportunities that lay before them so we have seen here in our own organization some nurses take advantage of the traveling,” said Hieb.
Hieb says Bellin is working daily to make sure there’s enough staff to care for their patients.
Prior to 2021, about one in 10 registered nurses in Wisconsin changed jobs annually; last year it was approaching one in five, according to the report.
To help fill the gaps, employers are turning to nursing programs to churn out more graduates.
Christine Vandenhouten, professor and chair of Nursing & Health Studies at UW-Green Bay says programs are focusing on attracting local talent.
“We just started another similar program called a 2+2+1, so students will take courses at the University of Wisconsin at Manitowoc or Sheboygan,” said Vandenhouten, “They will complete an associates degree they can then take courses at Lakeshore Technical College and then again come back to the UW-Green Bay for the fourth year where they can complete the bachelor’s degree.”
Vandenhouten says she hopes the program can help turn the declining numbers around and be a big part in helping grow the local healthcare workforce.
Bellin says it also utilizes travel nurses to help keep a full staff.
