Scarcity of nurses energizes northern Nevada recruiters

Monday, Sept. 25, 2000 | 9:55 a.m.

But most of the state's hospitals, including those a mile or so from the Reno school, could hire that many right now and still need more, hospital officials say.

As medical facilities across the nation face huge nursing shortages, those in Nevada are trying to come up with ways to entice more students to enter the field.

"Nursing is still basically a woman's profession," said Julie Johnson, dean of the School of Nursing. "But women have many more opportunities now to go into the careers of their choice some more lucrative or more appealing."

Reno hospitals like St. Marys Regional Medical Center and Washoe Medical Center have 45 to 50 nursing positions open. In Las Vegas, one hospital has 116 nursing positions to fill.

According to Kaylene Opperman, nursing recruiter at Washoe Med where the vacancy rate mirrors the national average of 15 percent, the hardest hit areas are specialty nursing, such as critical care and the operating room.

Like its counterparts in Las Vegas, Washoe Med has launched an aggressive recruitment program that stretches from universities to high schools and offers everything from graduate internships to career fairs.

"We want to encourage the boys and girls," said Norma Brown, associate administrator for patient care services at St. Marys, which offers similar programs to fill their 45 available nursing positions. "We have to make nursing an attractive program again."

Hospitals around the state have spent nearly $1.25 million since last year on recruitment and retention, said Bill Welch, president and CEO of Nevada Hospital Association. Hospitals in northern Nevada spent $500,000 on recruiting and $300,000 to offer benefits and incentives that would keep nurses from leaving.

But he admits that may not be enough.

"The image is important," Welch said. "Were going to have to launch a major media effort that's long-term if we want to bring back the value of the nursing profession."