Two local universities and the region’s largest health-care system are stepping up to combat the growing shortage of nurses threatening the quality of medical care in Hampton Roads and across the nation.
The nursing program at Old Dominion University in Norfolk said in October that it would be admitting new students for spring semesters, beginning in January, rather than having admissions in the fall semester only. ODU said that once the change has been fully implemented, in 2027, enrollment in its five-semester pre-licensure nursing program should more than double.
Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach had announced earlier in the year that it would add spring admissions to its joint bachelor of science in nursing program with Sentara College of Health Sciences in January.
Both schools have said they are making the change to help address the shortage of nurses. Across the U.S., predictions are that unless changes are made, as longtime nurses retire and demand for care rises, there will be more open positions than available nurses well into the next decade.
Fortunately, both the ODU and the VWU nursing programs are backed in their efforts to expand by Hampton Roads’ largest health care system, Sentara Health. A nonprofit that operates more than 300 health care sites in the region, including several highly ranked hospitals, Sentara works with the universities to provide clinical experience and hands-on learning. It also provides grants and scholarships for health care students.
Sentara and VWU are establishing a new Sentara College of Health Sciences of Virginia Wesleyan University, with facilities on the university campus. The school will bring 13 programs into the university curriculum. It will offer educational opportunities at several levels, from medical support staff certifications to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing.
These changes may not solve all the problems surrounding the nursing shortage facing Hampton Roads, but they are positive developments that should help.
One major stumbling block in efforts to prepare more people to become nurses is a shortage of experienced people willing to become faculty members in nursing programs. A major problem is that those who have gone through all the education, training and certification necessary to become a nurse, and who have gained experience working in a professional capacity for several years, are likely to be earning more money than a university would offer a teacher.
A shortage of nurses — and thus a shortage of quality health care — is a concern for everyone. Academic institutions, health care systems, government leaders and others will need to work together to figure out ways to make it worthwhile for qualified people to share their nursing expertise through teaching.
We need more regional efforts to tackle common problems, like that being mounted by Sentara and Old Dominion and Virginia Wesleyan universities to address the nursing shortage.
The cities of Hampton Roads may take great pride in their individuality, and each certainly has distinctive characteristics worth touting. In the bigger picture, though, the cities and all who call them home have even more in common, including shared problems as well as assets. (There’s also the reality that many people live in one city and work in another, and many families include members who work in different cities.)
All those who live and work here should be concerned, for example, about climate change and the likely effects of sea-level rise. We all should be alert to problems and political decisions that could affect the tourist industry, or the seafood industry, military installations, veterans and other mainstays of our economy and way of life. What happens to bridges, tunnels, highways and mass transit has implications for everyone. So do sustainable energy projects.
The list of common concerns goes on, and reliable health care belongs at or near the top. When you or someone you love needs medical help, you just want good care to be readily available. It’s reassuring to see prominent local institutions working to make sure that happens.
