Addressing the Nursing Shortage in Southern Virginia
Key Takeaways
The U.S. nursing shortage is accelerating due to an aging workforce, with nearly half of current nurses over 50 and facing retirement waves in coming years. Nursing schools lack capacity to meet demand, having turned away over 65,000 qualified applications in 2023, making this a critical workforce challenge requiring immediate intervention.
- Federal projections show approximately 190,000 RN job openings annually through 2034
- Nearly 50% of the current nursing workforce is over age 50, creating impending retirement shortage
- Nursing schools turned away 65,000+ qualified applicants in 2023 due to lack of faculty
- Hospitals are offering increased wages, bonuses, and loan repayment programs to attract and retain nurses
A great deal of places in the United States are facing a shortage of nurses. Southern Virginia is no exception. That’s why the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center’s Area Health Education Center was just awarded a $125,000 grant from the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. The money will be used to recruit students into nursing programs at colleges and universities in the region.
According to a recent report from WORK IT, SOVA, nursing program enrollment levels are not producing enough graduates to fill open positions, with regional hospitals facing critical shortages. Within the report, VCU Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill CEO W. Scott Burnette says, “the intervention at this stage is critical to alleviating the shortage of available nurses in our region. Without ensuring a robust pipeline of qualified students, we cannot expect an adequate pool of qualified nurses.”
With renewed interest for both licensed practical nurses (LPN) as well as registered nurses (RN), those interested in a nursing degree can get started quickly at ECPI University and its Roanoke campus. Our Practical Nursing program would prepare you to become an important part of the healthcare team, working under the supervision of doctors and registered nurses. We offer a collaborative learning environment where you can learn how to function effectively in acute, long-term care, and ambulatory settings.
Through our hands-on program and clinical rotations, you can be exposed to subject areas such as anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, dosage calculations, and acute care nursing. What’s more, you can earn your Licenses Practical Nursing diploma in just 15 months through our year-round, accelerated program.
If you’re seeking more responsibility, consider ECPI University’s Nursing (RN) program. Our laboratory environment provides you with a realistic setting where you can learn both the art and science of nursing with a focus on the application of theory to clinical practice. Core areas of instruction include:
- Acute Care
- Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology
- Pharmacology
- Medical/Surgical Nursing
- Maternal/Newborn Nursing
- Nutrition
Upon completion of your degree, you are then qualified to take the RN-NCLEX exam through the State Board of Nursing to become licensed to practice as a registered nurse. Like the Practical Nursing program, the Nursing (RN) program is also offered in an accelerated format. In fact, through our year-round schedule, you can earn an Associate of Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing in just 18 months!
#ecpigrad #rnprogram #june12 #nurse's. Fellow classmate and I pic.twitter.com/pLzxiSf1wd
— Mopar_Girl (@kelseytucker51) June 16, 2015
The nursing shortage is serious problem and with an aging baby-boomer population, the demand for health services is expected to rise even further. Being a nurse is a special calling with many rewards. By becoming a nurse, you can have a tremendous impact on peoples’ lives and help stem the critical nursing shortage in Southern Virginia. If this sounds like your calling, contact ECPI University’s Roanoke campus today where you can start earning your Diploma in Practical Nursing, or your Associates of Applied Science in Nursing.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.
