TEXAS NURSING SHORTAGE - There’s a shortage of qualified nurses in Texas and that shortage is expected to get much worse over the next decade. Cindy Zolnierek , CEO of the Texas Nurses Association says there will be a shortage of at least 60-thousand nurses in Texas by 2030.
"There's also projected to be a shortage of licensed vocational nurses," Zlolnierek says. "As well as advanced practice nurses, particularly in the nurse practitioner role."
Zolnierek explained many nurses are retiring, but other nurses are leaving the profession while they're young and says there are some ways nurses could be convinced to stay.
"Allow nurses to be engaged," explains Zolnierek. "And to be active in decisions that are made in their work environmentsso we can retain them in the work setting."
Another thing affecting the nursing shortage are qualified teachers. Zolnierek says there is also a nursing teacher shortage, which means there aren't enough classes to educate the number of nurses that will be needed to care for an aging population.
