Politics
Kaine promises state help in easing nurse shortage: More scholarships and funding coming your way!
By Carlos Santos

Virginia’s nursing shortage is growing, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine came to the University of Virginia nursing school to say that help — in the form of money — is on the way.

“The shortage is both nationwide and statewide,” Kaine told about 100 people at U.Va. “But there are a lot of people who want to be nurses.”

Kaine said the “choke point” was in the lack of nursing school space and faculty.

This year, Kaine said, the state will help by giving nursing faculty at state colleges a 10 percent raise to help retain teachers, while a total of $200,000 in scholarships will be offered to those nurses seeking master’s degrees.

In addition, $750,000 will be given in state grants to U.Va. and Northern Virginia Community College to enhance training and education of nursing students. The money at U.Va. will be used to forgive education loans of up to $25,000 for nurses accepted to doctoral programs, Kaine said.

Kaine said the shortage of nurses in hospitals was attributable to the fact that people are living longer and need more nursing care. Nurses also are in great demand in other fields.

Pam Cipriano, U.Va.’s chief clinical and nursing officer, said U.Va.’s hospital system is seeing more patients, “so recruitment of nurses needs to grow.”

The hospital has 1,900 registered nurses and adds about 100 more nurses a year to take care of growing patient needs. Each year, 250 nurses are needed to replace those who leave, she said.

At U.Va., the average registered nurse is paid a bit above $50,000 a year.