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Nursing shortage to be addressed by grant
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“We all recognize the need to work together to address the critical nursing shortage in Western New York now and in the future.”
The School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Catholic Health System, Erie County Medical Center, Kaleida Health and Roswell Park Cancer Institute, has received a John R. Oishei Foundation grant of $100,000 to support the Western New York Center for Nursing Workforce and Quality (WNY CNWQ).
The WNY CNWQ (originally called the WNY Nursing Workforce Collaborative) was organized by Jean Brown, dean and professor of nursing, during the summer of 2008 and brought together for the first time nurse leaders from the major health centers across the area to address the severe nursing workforce shortages projected for Western New York.
“We all recognize the need to work together to address the critical nursing shortage in Western New York now and in the future,” said Brown. In addition to the partners receiving the Oishei Foundation grant, nursing stakeholders from the Veteran’s Administration Western New York Healthcare System, Niagara University, rural hospitals and other schools of nursing have been invited to participate.
The WNY CNWQ will address unprecedented turnover as the nursing population ages and retires. Over the next 10 years, a 32 percent shortage in nurses is predicted for Erie County, while Western New York’s rural counties may see as much as a 66 percent loss.
Low staffing causes nurses to suffer burnout and leave the profession. When staffing is inadequate, patient safety is compromised and risk of death in the hospital increases. In short, a decline in nurses can be costly in many ways. The WNY CNWQ partnership seeks to improve the quality of patient health care by increasing the number of nurses and by providing more support for current and future nurses.
The Oishei grant will be used to support the WNY CNWQ’s three main objectives over the course of the next two years:
- Establish an organizational structure that manages its administrative affairs.
- Develop a Western New York nursing workforce statistics and quality of care center.
- Begin a pilot research project that establishes a way to test innovative approaches to nursing care and management.
Sung-Heui Bae, UB research assistant professor and project co-director, and Carol S. Brewer, professor of nursing, are beginning the nursing workforce statistical research necessary to assess the working conditions of nurses in Western New York. They will not only evaluate nursing workforce numbers and characteristics, but also job satisfaction among nurses, nursing quality of care and innovations in nursing care delivery.
Brown’s objective as director will be “to use the Oishei funding to support this initiative and develop a sustainable organization that is a true partnership among institutions that educate nurses and that deliver nursing care.”
Reader Comments
nancy haas says:
I am currently back at UB in order to complete my career change. I was part of the nursing proffession for over 20 yrs. In that time there many satisfying moments, I enjoyed patient care and the reward of being part of a positive force. Unfortunately all too often nurses are taken advantage of and put in impossible situations that endanger thier patient's welfare as well as thier careers. Not to mention the emotional toll it takes . Most nurses are people who are very caring individuals who tend to go above and beyond to care for thier patients on a consistent basis. Certaintly salaries and potential opportunities have expanded over the years, but in my opinion no amount of money is worth being part the unhealthy dynamic that exists in most facilities.
Posted by nancy haas, response to nursing shortage, 10/12/10