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Nurses are in high demand in Maryland. According to health officials, the state is experiencing one of the worst nursing shortages in its history.

“I have seen ups and downs with the nursing shortage, but this is clearly the worse that I have seen it in four decades,” said Dr. Kathleen Wiser, Dean of Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Nursing.

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Doctors believe there could be several factors behind this, from the baby boomer generation getting older to nursing burnout.

“It has resulted in some nurses electing to leave the profession for the time, some nurses electing to become traveling nurses because financially, the compensation they receive is considerably more than what they receive as an employee in one of our hospitals,” said Dr. Jane Kirschling, Dean of University of Maryland School of Nursing.

Doctors said the COVID-19 pandemic has only made matters worse.

“At one time that their work level may have been let’s say four patients, five patients, six patients, well now they’re taking up to ten patients over a 12-hour shift,” said Wiser.

In response, Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Nursing launched an accelerated program to help students earn a nursing degree in just 15 months. The University of Maryland School of Nursing also has a strong applicant pool and admission numbers. Their goal is to keep graduates in state to practice.

Nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the demand for registered nurses to grow by 12 percent by 2028 and projects Maryland will need 10,000 nurses in the next 10 years.

Source: CBS Baltimore

Maryland Experiencing Nursing Shortage, Health Officials Say  was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com