The state currently has a nursing shortage of 7 percent

To head off an anticipated severe shortage of nurses resulting from an aging nursing workforce and increased demand for nurses due to aging baby boomers, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today unveiled a plan that will increase the number of faculty available to train nurses, make it more affordable for nursing students to attend school, and improve working conditions for nurses through a new Center for Nursing. The initiative will be highlighted by the Governor in next week’s Budget Address and is partially contained in House Bill 4279, sponsored by Rep. Lou Lang (D – Skokie) and Sen. Carol Ronen (D – Chicago).

“As the baby boomers grow older, Illinois faces the challenge of providing for their growing demands on the healthcare system while also making up for the retirement of a generation of nurses,” said Gov. Blagojevich. “Nurses play an essential role – they’re on the frontlines and have the most direct and continuing contact with patients. We have to find ways to fill the nursing shortage, and this new legislation will help us get there.”

The number of potential caregivers, including nurses, is projected to decrease 4.2 percent between 2000 and 2020, while the number of those who need care is projected to increase by 31 percent. All told, by 2020 Illinois could be facing a shortage of over 21,000 nurses. According to region-by-region numbers put together by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the state currently has a nursing shortage of 7 percent (vacancies vs. jobs filled) and that shortage is projected to grow to almost 8,000 registered nurses and 1,200 licensed practical nurses (per year, projected through 2010).

“We’ve heard a lot in recent years about getting doctors to come to or stay in Illinois, but we haven’t talked enough or done enough to encourage the nursing field,” said Rep. Lang. “I look forward to working with the Governor and nursing organizations to establish a plan that anticipates and prepares for the future healthcare needs of our state.”

“This bill is critical because it acknowledges that one of the causes of the nursing shortage is the lack of nursing faculty,” said Sen. Ronen. “By providing grants to nursing schools, we can ensure that quality nurses are produced for the state of Illinois.”

The Governor’s plan will address the shortage in a number of ways:
* Development of the Center for Nursing: A Center for Nursing would be established within the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, charged with goals such as developing a strategic plan for nursing manpower in Illinois, maintaining a database on nursing supply and demand, and creating nursing retention and recruitment initiatives.
* Nursing educator scholarships: Since every additional faculty member in nursing can add 10 more nurses to the workforce, the Center would also be charged with the creation of a nursing education scholarship that will make pursuing a career in nursing education more attractive and more affordable in the State of Illinois. This year’s budget includes $1.3 million for these scholarships
* Grants to nursing schools: Capacity in nursing colleges around the country is reaching the breaking point. In fact, over 26,000 qualified applicants were turned away from baccalaureate granting nursing programs in the United States because of faculty shortages, crowded clinical facilities, and funding shortfalls. In Illinois, over 1,100 qualified applicants were not admitted. In order to increase the number of faculty, and the number of graduating nurses as a result, Illinois would make competitive grants available to nursing schools. These could be used to hire more faculty members or create evening or weekend training programs, among other options. In Fiscal Year 2007, a $1.5 million grant would be available to nursing schools to increase the number of graduating nurses, as well as $150,000 for 15 nurse educator fellowships that would supplement faculty salaries.
* Changes to existing nursing scholarship program: The legislation would amend the existing nursing education scholarship law to allow merit, in addition to financial need, to be taken into consideration when determining recipients of the nursing scholarship. Merit is to be shown through measures such as GPA, class rank, academic and extracurricular activities. Taking in account merit in awarding these scholarships will improve the successful completion rate of nursing education programs as well as helping Illinois produce high quality nurses.

* Student loan repayment for nurse educators: The legislation contains provisions for a future loan forgiveness program for those who choose to become nursing faculty. The Illinois Nurse Educator Loan Repayment Program, through the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), would be an incentive for nurses to become educators. The program will allow current nurse educators, or those in a Master’s level or PhD program to become a nurse educator, to receive $5,000 in student loan forgiveness a year, for up to four years. For every year of student loan forgiveness they receive, they must work for one year as a nurse educator in Illinois. The program will be up and running by Fiscal Year 08.