Arizona’s nursing crisis is getting a large dose of funds to help address significant staffing shortages, and entice more people to pursue nursing degrees.
The state’s Department of Health Services has awarded $43.1 million in grants to five Arizona nursing programs.
The University of Arizona’s scholarships will cover tuition and fees for up to 158 prospective nurses to attend its nursing college’s graduate-level program. The UA received just under $9.2 million.
Nursing shortages have made it necessary not only to get more people into the field, but to help them stay in it, said Connie Miller, a UA nursing professor and chair of the college’s general nursing and health education division.
“We need to do more than just train nurses,” she said. “We have to prepare them for working in such a busy and challenging health-care workforce.”
The UA will admit 48 nursing scholarship recipients three times a year at both its Tucson and Gilbert campuses. Students who are awarded a scholarship will be required to work as nurses in Arizona for four years after graduation.
The university has been preparing to increase enrollments, with the nursing college’s Gilbert location recently doubling in size from 17,500 square feet to 35,000 square feet to handle more students.
A recent study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows 3.6 million nurses are going to be needed by 2030, an increase of nearly 30% from the 2.8 million that are needed now across the country.
“After the pandemic, it’s gotten worse, obviously,” Miller said. “We’ve really come to this alarming and critical point right now.”
The vacancy rate for registered nurses in U.S. hospitals was about 10% in 2022, according to a National Health Care Retention Report.
These challenges with worker retention have caused a shift in training, with aspects of the UA curriculum now focusing more on resilience skills, Miller said.
“We want them to grow, we want them to thrive, and we want them to stay in the profession,” she said. “We have to really do something now. It’s alarming.”
The UA’s master of nursing program was launched here in 2011, and more than 1,100 people have graduated with a master’s degree in nursing so far.
The state’s health department provided scholarship funding to be used in programs designed to allow students to complete entry-level nursing degrees in 12 to 18 months. Both in-state and out-of-state residents are eligible for a full scholarship.
People who are interested in learning more about the scholarships can check for updates online at nursing.arizona.edu or email con-osaa@email.arizona.edu.
While partnering on a virtual reality training scenario, Ash Watkins, left, clinical trainer, and Shane Elfering, registered nurse, get set up for a virtual reality training scenario at Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz. on June 27, 2022. TMC, in partnership with 3lbXR, is piloting a new virtual realty training program for nurses, patient care technicians and environmental services staff aimed at addressing high-risk and problematic tasks as well as work responsibilities in a health care setting.
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