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Nurse retention rate lower in hospitals than colleges |
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Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
by REBECCA GARDNER
Intern News Reporter
There is a growing need for nurses in North Carolina. By 2014, North Carolina will need 41,000 more nursing professionals, according to a needs-assessment video prepared by the University of North Carolina Tomorrow Council.
“The population is growing in North Carolina, especially the elderly, and the population is aging, and there are predictions that they’ll need more services,” Director of Education and Practice at the North
Carolina Nurses Association Gail Pruett said.
Pruett said advancing technology requiring specialized skills has cut down on the number of nurses
able to perform certain jobs.
 Nurses review patient charts in the Intensive Care Unit at Watauga Medical Center located on Deerfield Road in Boone. Special to The Appalachian
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“I loved working with patients and seeing them improve,” Pruett said. “I have a background in psychiatric mental health and for nursing, you have to understand the person.”
North Carolina is trying hard to increase the nurse retention rate.
“North Carolina’s vacancy rate is 8.4 percent across all industry groups,” North Carolina Center for
Nursing Associate Director of Workforce Development Billy Bevill said. “This is tested every two years
and it has been stable for the last two decades.”
A vacancy rate is defined as the amount of nurse positions at a hospital that are vacant.
The retention rate is harder in hospitals than it is in colleges, Director of Nurses at Appalachian Bev
Cuthbertson said.
“In hospitals, you usually work there more than your assigned hours and assigned days because the
hospital population is generally sicker and they need more intensive care and it is not as predictable,”
Cuthbertson said. “Here, you can depend more on your assigned hours.”
Appalachian State University’s Student Health Services has a very low turnover rate.
“We have a better longevity because of the state benefits and because, in colleges, there is a generally
healthy population,” Cuthbertson said. “We also have a well organized student flow here and students
can see a nurse, get over-the-counter medications or the nurses can help guide them.”
 Terry Smith tends to a patient at Watauga Medical Center. Special to The Appalachian
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Cuthbertson has worked at Appalachian for 11 of her 27-year career as a nurse.
“I love all of it and every day of experience makes you a better nurse,” Cuthbertson said.
Student Health Services has 14 full-time nurses and 15 part-time nurses.
“The Center for Nursing tracks trends and works closely with schools,” Pruett said. “Hallmark of
Healthy Workplaces is a program to recognize health care facilities that recognize and value their
nurses.”
Every day in North Carolina, two new doctors, eight new nurses and two other licensed health
practitioners start practices in the state.
According to the UNC Tomorrow video, three new doctors and 10 new nurses would be required to
meet the needs of the population.
There are many different ways to become a nurse and there are two levels of nursing assistants. The
shortest program can last three months, Cuthbertson said.
“Mainly, it is an initiative and everyone is working together,” Pruett said. “The nursing schools are
better educating their nurses, and the Board of Nursing has created a taskforce to develop a transition
program between a graduate and a first work experience.”
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