There is a nationwide nursing shortage, and ETSU, like other colleges throughout the country, is having a tough time attracting enough students into the nursing field.
Dr. Joellen Edwards, dean of the College of Nursing, said the nursing population is getting older, and it’s getting harder to find younger nurses to replace them when they retire.
“Students are not choosing nursing (as a major),” Edwards said.
Edwards said nursing is still primarily a female occupation, and fewer women are choosing the profession because career options for women have increased over the past decades. She also said fewer people are willing to sacrifice the time that is required of a full-time nurse.
Dan Emmel, director of Career Placement and Internship Serv-ices, said he has seen a priority shift in job seekers. Job seekers are placing family and personal time ahead of their careers.
“When they choose a career, they want something eight-to-five oriented,” he said, adding that the shift work required as a nurse is a deterrent to many.
The nursing shortage poses a hiring problem for colleges and universities.
“Finding qualified faculty with the appropriate credentials is becoming increasingly difficult,” Emmel said.
Emmel thinks the nursing shortage can be attributed, in part, to deficiencies in students’ high school science requirements.
He said that many students who initially pursue nursing are deterred by the science courses they are required to take and they simply choose not to go into the field.
The science-education deficit is leading to shortages in other occupations including pharmacy and optometry, he said. It is also becoming more difficult to find qualified high school science teachers.
Emmel said the average local starting salary for nurses with a bachelor’s degree is $30,000 and that nationally the figure is approximately $34,000.
To overcome the shortage hospitals are offering sign-on bonuses and referral bonuses are offered to staff members who successfully recommend a candidate.
The nursing shortage is not only being felt in emergency, operating room and critical-care hospital units, but also in community, home health, rural health and independent practice.
There is a special need for male nurses to care for geriatric patients.
Emmel said if the thought of helping people is guiding students’ career decisions, nursing is a good choice.
“All statistics indicate it will be a good career field with increasing salaries,” he said.

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