Supply and Demand of VT' Registered Nurse in 2005

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Supply and Demand of VT. Registered Nurse in 2005

• Mary Val Palumbo DNP, RN
• Director, Office of Nursing Workforce
• UVM College of Nursing and Health Science

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2005 Relicensure Survey of Vermont Registered
Nurses

• (Supply)

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Board of Nursing RN Relicensure Survey 1-3/05

• N 5,805 (65 response rate)
• 4075 employed as RN in VT (70)
• 94 female
• 93 Caucasian
• Mean age 48 years

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Age of RNs Working in VT
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(No Transcript)
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Setting of Primary Employment
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Satisfaction with Current Position
2 - Not answered
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Likeliness to leave position in next year
2 - Not answered
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2005 Vermont Health Workforce
Assessment(Nursing Demand)
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Purpose

• Funding was received from the
• HRSA Special Congressional Initiative for
  Rural Health Research to
• Identify healthcare workforce shortages in
  Vermont.

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Purpose

• Accurate Data
• In 2000, a national survey concluded there was
  no nursing shortage in Vermont, contrary to the
  consensus of Vermont nurse leaders.

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Response Rates
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Registered Nurse Vacancy and Turnover Across
Settings
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Weeks to fill nursing positions

• Psychiatric nurse (24 wks)
• LTC RN evenings (21 wks)
• Hospital Nurse manager (17 wks)
• LTC RN nights (15 wks)
• ICU nurse (14 weeks)
• LTC RN days (12 wks)
• LTC Nurse Manager (12 weeks)
• Operating Room (10 wks)
• Hospital pediatric nurse (10wks)

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Hospital Nursing PositionVacancy and Turnover
Rates
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Home Health Nursing Positions - Vacancy and
Turnover Rates
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Office Employee Vacancy and Turnover
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Need assessment

• 16 of hospital nurse executives reported the
  need for registered nurses was greater than the
  number of budgeted positions.
• (Down from 55 in 2003)

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Recruitment Incentives

• Impact of starting salary on recruitment was
  reported to adequate by 83 of hospital, 80 of
  home health and 47 of LTC respondents.
• Lack of differentiated salary for education (75)
  
• and certification (67) in of hospitals
  remains troubling. In home health,
  70 report paying a differential for educational
  preparation.

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Impact of Shortages

• Most commonly reported impacts of workforce
  shortages in all settings
• Decreased staff satisfaction
• Decreased patient satisfaction
• Increased patient complaints

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Further Impact of Shortages on Hospitals

• Delayed or diverted admissions
• (42 several times/yr, 42 monthly)
• Reduced number of staffed beds
• (17 - monthly, 42 several times/yr.)
• Emergency room overcrowding
• (25 several times/yr, 17 weekly.)
• Delayed discharge (17 several times/yr, 8
  monthly, 8 daily)

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Vermont Conclusions

• Vermont has a nursing shortage in LTC and highly
  skilled specialty areas.
• Improvements have been seen in vacancy and
  turnover of RN in the hospital and home health
  settings over the past two years.
• Consequences of the short staffing are present in
  varying degrees throughout the Vermont health
  care system.

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Conclusions from

• Is the shortage of hospital RNs getting better
  or worse? Findings from 2 national surveys of
  RNs. Buerhaus et al (2005) Nursing Economics.
• Comparing 2002 and 2004, RNs perceived an eased
  shortage since 2002 and notable improvements in
  work life. Longstanding problems with work
  environment continue.

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Recommendations

• Increased efforts needed for recruitment and
  retention of the Registered Nurse in the LTC
  setting
• Continue opportunities for career mobility into
  areas of psychiatric nursing, operating room,
  geriatrics, pediatrics, and management.

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Recommendations from

• Act Now For Your Tomorrow, Final Report of
  National Commission on Nursing Workforce for LTC,
  April 2005
• Long Term Care Leaders must
• Generate interest in their profession
• Address educational opportunities
• Create new partnerships with education

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• Current shortfalls will only increase over the
  next several decades.