By Robin Williams Adams WINTER HAVEN | Polk County, like Florida, faces a major shortage of nurses in the coming years as a huge group of baby boomer nurses retires. Florida’s shortage has eased somewhat as the recession causes nurses to delay retirement and work longer hours, according to the Florida Center for Nursing, but the center’s research still points to an impending crisis. “We can’t be misled into thinking there’s no longer a nursing shortage,” said Janet Fansler, vice president and chief nurse executive at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, which employs...

The Scottish government is being urged to safeguard vital services as nurses and midwives are forced to fight to secure NHS jobs. In a bid to save money, health boards are resorting to “unsustainable tactics” including not replacing people and freezing posts, which is affecting available positions for newly trained nurses, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland said. The measures could have “devastating consequences” for future patient care, the union warned. This year nearly 4,000 NHS posts will be cut, including 1,500 midwifery and nursing jobs, Health Secretary...

By N.C. Aizenman The Obama administration awarded $159.1 million in grants Thursday to educational programs that train nurses and geriatric specialists as well as those that recruit and support students from minority groups that are underrepresented in those fields. The grants, which include new and continuing funding, build on multimillion dollar investments called for under the new health-care overhaul law in order to address a growing shortage of primary care workers. A 2008 report by the Council on Physician and Nurse Supply said schools would need to produce 30,000 nurses annually to offset...

by Katerina Nikolas The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is cognizant of the ever increasing critical shortage of nurses, which is further compounded by the cost student loan debt that those who qualify as RN’s face upon graduation. In an effort to alleviate some of these problems the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program is expanding to include more nurses each year, and helps to pay some of the associated qualifying costs by helping with loan repayment. However not all applicants will be able to benefit from the program as it is very oversubscribed. To address this The Bureau...

The recession may have temporarily eased the nation’s nursing shortage, but experts say hundreds of thousands of nurses will be needed as the economy recovers and society continues to age. Anderson University hopes to be part of the solution by launching a nursing school in 2012 to produce more nurses in the Upstate. But it could face the same problems that keep other nursing schools from turning out enough nurses, including a dearth of faculty and clinical slots. Anderson University plans to convert existing space on the campus for the nursing program, said spokesman Barry Ray. Pending all approvals,...

If you have ever wondered about being a nurse, what about starting your career as a certified nursing assistant? It is a job that does not require as much education as an RN (Registered Nurse) but can provide you with the education and experience on your way to being one. A Certified Nursing Assistant, or, CNA, is a position you can start to see if nursing is the right field for you. Let’s start out with salary basics and go from there. The average salary of a full-time CNA here in Colorado Springs is about $25,000. An RN’s salary is about $53,000. Salaries can go higher as you...

CHICAGO (CBS) ― We’ve always been told nursing and health care are nearly recession-proof careers. So the nursing school students who graduated today should be in great shape, right? Not so fast. As CBS 2′s Roseanne Tellez reports, even some nursing graduates are struggling to find jobs. Students from the College of Nursing were beaming with excitement at commencement exercises at UIC on Thursday. After all, they’ve chosen the ever-growing field of health care. Even in this poor economy, there are always jobs in health care, right? “In the Quad cities where we’re...

By: News 8 Austin Staff Austin’s reputation as a major hub for training nurses has been elevated once again. Friday, Concordia University officials announced the school’s Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program was approved by the Texas Board of Nursing. School officials said while there’s a shortage of nurses, there is also a shortage of space for nursing students in university and college programs. This new program will help to meet both needs. The four-year program will be led Dr. Joy Hinson Penticuff, RN. The school has created 31 new courses based on latest research....

Denver, CO (OPENPRESS) March 19, 2010 — CollegeAmerica has recently added an Associate Degree in Nursing at their Denver campus for students interested in pursuing a nursing career. The 20-month Associate Degree in Nursing is often treated as a stepping stone to a BSN and prepares a student to become a Registered Nurse (RN). Now, for the first time at CollegeAmerica, those aspiring to become RNs can complete the pre-requisite to achieving that dream in only 15 months (after pre-requisite courses). The ADN program is approved by the State Board of Nursing in Colorado. All students need to...

Program made possible through a $1 million grant By Jason Schoonover | Austin Daily Herald Minnesota health care workers are beginning to benefit from a grant garnered in 2008 by Riverland Community College and Workforce Development Inc. Free online nursing courses commenced last month at the community college, as a result of the $1 million Community-Based Job Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant has also funded pre-employment health care academies at Workforce Development and health care career fairs on Riverland’s campus for fifth grade students. “The goal of the initiative...