Las Vegas NowNew Program May Help Nursing Shortage

New Program May Help Nursing Shortage

Students who enter nursing school expecting a rewarding career are sometimes disappointed when they head into the hospital workforce. Many of them quit after their first year, adding to the nursing shortage. But a new program being tried in local hospitals may help.

Stephanie Effros recently graduated from a Las Vegas area nursing school and is now an official registered nurse. She's also among the first to try the new R.N. residency program. It teams up fledgling nurses with mentors to help their transition into the real world.

"You really don't fit in to knowing what you're doing as a nurse until that first year passes. So it's really helpful to have someone who knows what you're going through to kind of coach you through it," shared Effros.

According to local research, the first year of nursing can be so difficult, that 30% of new R.N.'s jump ship after the first year.

Two local hospitals, Valley and Desert Springs, are testing the new residency program. Christine Kipp is Chief Nursing Officer at Valley. She says extended support for new nurses makes good sense, to soften the landing into an actual nursing position.

"Where you help the transition from the role of a student, which sometimes is taking care of a very limited population, to the role of a nurse, which can be responsible for an entire floor of 50 patients," said Kipp.

UNLV is funding the program for three years, by way of a $600,000 federal grant. Project manager, professor Susan Kowalski says they're looking to the future as more and more nurses will be needed.

"As this continues to grow over time, we're going to stabilize our nursing workforce. Because instead of having constant turnover, hopefully these new grads will stay in their positions and they will become the staff that's going to nurture new grads that are coming out in the future," said Kowalski.

UNLV Researchers will be following the new program closely over the next three years to study its impact.