Beshear signs order declaring nursing shortage an emergency in Kentucky
(The Center Square) – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared the state’s ongoing nursing shortage an emergency Thursday. In doing so, he signed an executive order he said would allow state officials and healthcare providers to take additional steps to address the issue.
The governor told reporters that Kentucky’s healthcare providers currently need between 12% to 20% more nurses than are currently employed. By 2024, the state will need about 16,000 more.
“These are some immediate actions that we believe will provide some relief,” the governor said at his press conference. “Obviously, long-term, there is a lot to do.”
Beshear’s order addresses both the current and the future needs. It extends the ability for nurses licensed in other states to come into Kentucky and work immediately. In addition, the order also calls for the state Board of Nursing to approve requests from schools wanting to accept more students into their programs. Those programs will be allowed to do that as long as they demonstrate the ability to accommodate those enrollees.
At the governor’s press conference, Kelly Jenkins, the board’s executive director, said that the agency has been working to attract more nurses from other states and working with current students trying to become nurses in the middle of the pandemic. That includes allowing some training in simulations.
“It’s been difficult for them to be in a nursing school, any health care professional school right now, and taking virtual classes,” she said. “So, we understand the importance of all those clinicals and the practice that they need.”
Schools will also be able to expedite the process of opening new campuses by having them now considered as an enrollment increase instead of a new facility.
Nursing schools will also be required to report any vacancies to the board, so the regulatory agency can post those openings on its website.
Besides allowing nurses out of state to work in Kentucky, Beshear’s order also broadens the eligibility of people who can work in hospitals. He said that could be a “critical” need if the state’s healthcare systems face another surge that strains available resources.
The order also looks to address the shortage of faculty available to training nursing students. Beshear said schools that believe it can’t handle additional students because of a lack of instructors to contact the Board of Nursing, the governor’s office and the Council on Postsecondary Education in an effort to find professionals who can offer the instruction.
While the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated the nursing shortage, it actually has been a problem nationally for several years. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nursing schools across the country turned away more than 80,000 qualified students from baccalaureate or graduate programs in 2019 because of a lack of faculty, classroom space, budgetary issues or other reasons.
Finally, it also calls for an advisory committee with professionals in healthcare, education and nursing to propose additional ways the state can fill the shortages. That body will give its recommendations to Beshear’s office.
The announcement of the executive order came one day after the governor announced measures to retain and recruit social workers employed by the state. The state will immediately raise pay for nearly 4,000 social workers employed and initiate a pilot program to hire additional social workers more quickly.
Like the social workers, Beshear said his upcoming budget proposal would include providing nurses with a “hero pay” award for their work during the pandemic.
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