The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) School of Nursing has begun taking steps to address a statewide and nationwide nursing shortage. According to AlaskaJournal.com, health care is one of the fastest growing job sectors in the country. The US Department of Labor Statistics reports that in 2014, there were 11.8 million workers employed in the health care industry, with 2.7 million of that workforce represented by registered nurses.

The average age of nurses nationwide is 50 or older, with 30 percent of that population preparing to retire. This statistic has led many health care organizations to brace for a nationwide nursing shortage, UAA included.

In an effort to meet the industry’s needs, the UAA School of Nursing has begun finding practical solutions to lessen the burden of a progressing shortage of nurses. UAA Nursing Director Marianne Murray and Vice Provost of Health Programs and Dean of the College of Health Jeffrey Jessee are focusing on their own state first and how they can be responsive to the community’s needs.

They began by making a statewide tour to meet with UAA satellite campuses, health care organizations, and leaders that can help them with outreach to other education sites where the nursing program can help fill gaps in health care around the state.

UAA is tackling the nursing shortage by creating internal and external goals to implement within the next two years. Their first step is to increase faculty members, expand facilities, and collaborate with health care stakeholders to expand admissions, cohort sizes, and graduate more nurses. They also intend to increase diversity of faculty and students, and place an emphasis on cultural competency as an admissions marker. By expanding their admittance criteria, UAA hopes to open the door to a wider pool of prospective students who might not have previously considered a career in nursing.

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To learn more about UAA’s initiatives to tackle the nationwide nursing shortage, visit here.

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