(The Center Square) – There is a warning about a pending lack of nurses in Wisconsin.
The state’s Department of Workforce Development last week said it expects Wisconsin to be short nearly 20,000 nurses by 2040.
“DWD economists evaluated several factors in the report, including high vacancy rates of registered nurses in Wisconsin hospitals and low unemployment rates for nurses. The data showed that there are not enough registered nurses in Wisconsin to meet current demand, and that this shortage is predicted to grow if not addressed,” the department said in a statement.
DWD says the numbers could be as low as 12,000 nurses, but the agency is worried nonetheless.
The report says 88% of licensed registered nurses in Wisconsin are working, and 12% are not. For LPNs, the report says 90% of licensed LPNs are currently working. The report notes that 10% are not.
The report shows the largest chunk of licensed nurses in Wisconsin who are not working because they have retired. But the data also shows many have left nursing as a profession, though there are some nurses who are simply just not working.
The report looks at COVID’s impact on nursing in the state, but not entirely.
The data tracks COVID training, patient care, and physical and mental health both before and after the outbreak.
“Almost half of the sample of RNs (47.76%) and 26.86% of LPNs report to be worse or much worse than before the pandemic. The statistics suggest the pandemic has exacerbated the longstanding concerns over a nursing shortage and the impact that has on nurses’ overall health,” the report states. “In the case of RNs, the younger the nurses, the higher the proportion of RNs identifying themselves as worse or much worse than before the pandemic. As the age range increases, a higher proportion of RNs feel their health is about the same or better than before the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The report, however, does not track how many nurses in Wisconsin were fired during COVID for refusing to get the COVID vaccine.
DWD said the challenge will be finding new nurses, and making sure the nurses who are working are prepared to cover the shortage.
“The report acknowledged many possible approaches to these health care workforce challenges, including placing extra emphasis on retaining existing nurses, advancing measures that make it possible for nurses to care for more patients, and supporting public health to reduce the number of patients,” DWD added.