Ohio needs nurses

2015 will be here faster than we know it, and with it, an expected nursing shortage in Ohio, which is causing Otterbein to prepare now.

     “We’ve been in a nursing shortage, and it’s only going to get worse through 2015,” department chair of nursing, Barbara Schaffner, said.

     According to Schaffner, the recent economic downturn has helped the shortage because nurses ready for retirement have stayed in the workforce longer, and part-time nurses have gone full time as their spouses’ jobs have become questionable.

     “But now, the nurses that were going to retire will retire, in addition to all the nurses who are now eligible for retirement, which is why we’ll see a greater shortage in the next few years,” Schaffner said.

     A recent report from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio anticipates a shortage of 32,000 nurses in Ohio by 2020. Ohio is one of three states projected to have the greatest need for nurses in the country, according to the study.

     Another factor contributing to the nursing shortage is the lack of nursing faculty and lack of clinical opportunities, Schaffner said. Schaffner estimates about 90 students apply for the undergraduate nursing program each year and the college only accepts 66.

     According to Niki Fayne, dean of the School of Professional Studies, the college needs one full time faculty member per every 20 students the nursing program accepts.

     According to Fayne, the nursing shortage is greater among nurse practitioners, so Otterbein hopes to grow the graduate nursing program over the next couple of years.

     “Growing our own faculty is a key component,” Fayne said.

     Otterbein currently has an associate degree in nursing to Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program in place. There are 34 students in the program now, but Fayne anticipates a growth of 18-20 new students accepted each year.

     A program in the works is the Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP). This program will most likely begin in 2011 and accept only 10 students initially, but eventually grow to a maximum of 20.

     “There’s a strong belief in the nursing field that all nurse practitioners will have to start earning their DNP, so we are positioning ourselves to offer the program before it becomes a requirement,” Fayne said.

     “I think it’s great. It will definitely attract more nurses to Otterbein because there will be more options, but you’ll still get the small school feel,” senior nursing major Nicole Zoulek said.

     According to Schaffner, there are still jobs in the nursing and healthcare industry being created.

      “The hospitals might be tight, but students will definitely find employment when they graduate,” Schaffner said. “It might not be their first choice and students may have to be more flexible with their schedules and with the facilities they work in.”

     “I feel like Otterbein’s prepared me very well to find a job, but I am still concerned because there are so many nursing schools in Columbus, I think it might be hard to find something in the Columbus area,” Zoulek said. t&c