Kaiser University partners with National Association of Hispanic Nurses to seek staffing solutions.
The Keiser University Nursing Advisory Council—a partnership of Florida-based Keiser University and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses—has been created to help address Florida’s nursing shortage.
The new advisory council is made up of government officials, educational leaders, and healthcare industry experts throughout Florida and the United States who will collaborate to find solutions to the shortage, according to Keiser University.
Like the rest of the United States, Florida faces a dire nurse staffing shortage that is expected to result in a nursing workforce deficit of 60,000 nurses by 2035, according to a recent report by the Florida Hospital Association.
The new council will seek out and share best practices to develop short- and long-term solutions to the state’s staffing shortage, according to the university.
“We hope to develop at least three or four recommendations that are practical in nature, that can be implemented, that can address head-on, different issues and challenges that will help alleviate the nursing shortage,” said Belinda Keiser, the university’s vice chancellor.
Council members discussed at a press conference some of the barriers they’re already facing to keep pace with the current demand for nurses.
Gino R. Santorio, president and CEO of Mt. Sinai Medical Center, cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a contributing factor to the nursing shortage and shared how Mt. Sinai Medical Center is working on expanding nurse educator programs, is rapidly implementing new technology, and using simulation labs to build new nurses’ confidence.
“Vacancy rates for nursing are double to triple what [they were] pre-pandemic and that’s pretty consistent on a national level,” Santorio said.
Other barriers that exist include burnout, early retirement, higher pay for traveling nurses, a lack of nurse educators, and limitations on clinical availability for advanced nursing students.
Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association, commended the new council’s initiative of tackling the nursing shortage.
“We must salute and applaud Keiser University for convening this nursing advisory council to help tackle the nursing shortage,” Grant said. “Together, we can make a difference.”
Carol Davis is the Nursing Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.