College program helps Alpena offset nursing shortages
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ALPENA -- As hospitals and health clinics across the nation struggle with nursing shortages, Alpena appears to have found a solution to the problem.
Mike Erickson, president of MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena, said a long-term solution to the shortage was provided by Alpena Community College after a $2 million state grant allowed ACC students to receive their Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saginaw Valley State University once they've received an associates degree in nursing from the community college.
"It all kinda works out," Erickson said. "People have families and lives in their hometown and some of them don't want to leave. This is a perfect opportunity to keep (nurses) local."
While the solution may take time to fully blossom into a full success, Lori Nuttall, president of the Michigan Nurses Association local at Alpena, said that she hopes there are plans for the current nurses.
"It is always hopeful that some of the students will want to stay in the area and work at the hospital," Nuttall said. "However, in addition to recruiting more nurses, we also want to make sure that we can retain the nurses we currently have."
An April study from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing -- a non-profit organization for nursing regulatory bodies -- found that about 100,000 nurses nationwide left the medical field due to stress, burnout, retirement, or other issues.
The shortages have caused hospital and health clinics to hire travel nurses to fill gaps in patient care. In many cases, these positions paid higher than a typical nurse's salary -- in some cases around $2,000, according to Travel Nurse Across America.
While it is unclear if MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena is currently experiencing any nursing shortages, Victor Morgan of MyMichigan Health confirmed Alpena is using travel nurses to provide care, but also said the hospital always has enough staff for the traffic it gets.
The ins-and-outs of ACC's program were on full display last week when Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and his team toured the nursing wing of ACC's Van Lare Hall during a tour of Northeast Michigan.
When he chatted with students that are taking nursing programs in the summer semester, Gilchrist was "struck by... seeing state-of-the-art tools, state-of-the-art tech matched with enthusiastic students."
During the tour, nursing students mentioned many reasons to become a nurse, but many of them had a theme of caring for others as they would want their family to be cared for.
"Staffing has always been a main concern of the nurses," Nuttall said. "We want to provide the best care we can for our community, and, even when short, we do our best to provide each patient with the care we would want our family to receive."