Officials say impending nursing shortage already apparent

A report to the 1999 Legislature said the state will need 760 new registered nurses each year through 2006. But less than half that amount will graduate from the state's nursing programs in 2000-2001.

"Collectively, nursing faces shortages unlike other health care areas we looked at," said John Packham, who compiled the report on Health Care Education in Nevada.

Health officials said most nurses are of the baby-boomer era and will be begin retiring over the next decade or so. As they do, the work force could diminish by half.

The impending nursing shortage is complicated by a growing aging population that puts more demands on health care.

"It is going to be very serious," said Julie Johnson, director of Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Reno.

To try to stave off the problem, health officials and educators are stepping up recruitment efforts. Many employers are also offering incentives to attract nurses.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor predicts the number of registered nurses needed in Nevada will jump from 9,950 in 1996 to 16,600 in 2006.

As the work pool dwindles, hospitals face stiffer competition from other health care service providers to recruit and retain nurses.

"All of those things coupled together make a huge impact," said Karen Winter, manager of staff development at Washoe Health Systems.

"We expect to have recruiting issues through the next five years. I think everyone in Nevada is being affected," she said.

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