2/2/2008 9:11:00 AM 3,000 healthcare jobs forecast in Madison Co.
Courtesy photo
Ross Sukup of Verdigre, a nursing student at Northeast Community College, visits with Ila Friedrich of Plainview at Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk. The proposed new nursing division in Norfolk would create an additional supply of nurses to work in health care in Norfolk and area communities.
Did you know?
According to the Nebraska Workforce Development Department of Labor, the average hourly wage for nurses in the Northeast region of Nebraska was $23 in 2007. Based on 78 new job openings, the economic benefit to the region is more than $3.8 million in additional wages being spent in the region.
In his 14 years as chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Dr. Harold Maurer has never had representatives of a community come and ask him to establish a school in their town.
So he admits to being surprised when state Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk and a contingent of Northeast Nebraskans approached him and the University of Nebraska Board of Regents with the idea of bringing a nursing school to Norfolk - as a partnership with Northeast Community College.
"You could feel the passion," Maurer said of Flood and the others involved.
Dr. Virginia Tilden, dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, agrees.
"I know of no other region that has stepped up (the way Northeast Nebraska has)," she said.
The idea of bringing a college of nursing to the area sprang from a conversation Flood had with Bob Driewer, former chief executive officer of Faith Regional Health Services. Driewer was looking for ways to address the current and projected shortage of nurses that is affecting not only Northeast Nebraska, but also the entire country.
That led Flood to write to University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken, who had med center officials take a closer look at the possibility.
After listening to the Northeast Nebraskans, a formal feasibility study was undertaken. In a nutshell, the results of the study said that, yes, there is a need for nurses and, yes, Northeast Nebraska could support a school.
In fact, according to the feasibility study, the northeast region of Nebraska "has one of the most significant registered nurse shortages in the state."
It also found that the area has a critical shortage of nurses with bachelor's and master's degrees.
Now Maurer, Flood and many other supporters are touting the benefits of having such a school in the area.
There's the obvious, which is educating more nurses. It is hoped, Maurer said, that having the school in Northeast Nebraska will encourage more people to go into nursing and encourage nurses to pursue advanced degrees.
"The average person over the age of 65 has three chronic conditions. Nursing care is critical for those people," he said.
A not-so-obvious benefit is the economic impact the school will have on Northeast Nebraska.
By the time the school is fully staffed, the 14 faculty will earn $1 million annually, Tilden said.
In addition, according to the feasibility study, every three jobs created in health care will lead to another job created in another area. And every dollar earned in health care results in another 23 cents in income earned in other areas.
According to the study, another 3,000 jobs tied to health care could be created in Madison County alone.
"The economic development is phenomenal," Maurer said.
But the economic impact isn't going to stop at Madison County's border.
Surrounding health care facilities will also benefit from having nurses available to work in their communities.
'We can bring people back to their hometowns . . . and give hospitals a chance to get new recruits," Flood said.
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Article comment by:
Denise Baer
There are several reasons why the wages are lower: too many nurses graduating from just NECC each year(supply and demand), little to no competition (only one major hospital keeping wages low). Nebraska Dept of Labor reports that there are 78 job openings for RN per year in northeast NE, and there are far more than that graduated each year. Beyond the wages, if there was a greater shortage, employers would have to improve the working conditions (nurse to pt ratio). Nurses need to stand up for themselves and say 'no - this is not acceptable', until then...we lose.
Posted: Saturday, February 02, 2008
Article comment by:
Ruth
I have three degrees from Northeast Community College, two of which are nursing degrees. I think this new Nursing program will be a great addition to Northeast Community College's grand list of program offerings. It's too bad the federal government doesn't see the shortage of registered nurses in Northern Nebraska and put out some special funds to students who want to become registered nurses and stay in Northern Nebraska. Last time I checked the federal government was only recognizing the nursing shortage in metropolitan areas of Nebraska not the more rural areas. We may need these nurses in a greater way than ever to care for solidiers coming home. In the rural areas graduate nurses are making approximately $4.00 LESS AN HOUR than your article states. Maybe hospitals should think about increasing their base pay for new graduate nurses, and also, facilities have to be willing to hire new graduate nurses,they can't ever become experienced nurses unless someone gives them that first job!
