Annette Hines, executive director of the Susan S. Morrison School of Nursing at the University of St. Thomas Morrison Family College of Health, recently spoke with KARE 11 about the significant drop in vacancy rates in Minnesota's hospitals for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the story:
Annette Hines is the executive director for the nursing school, and she says the university is excited to be a part of the solution to this ongoing nursing shortage.
“Looking at these numbers there are definitely some positives, less of a shortage in our workforce, and that’s something we have been working towards," Hines said.
Hines was less excited about the numbers that focus on diversity in the nursing profession. The report shows the diversity rate has increased from 9.5% in 2020 to 13.4% currently.
"The diversity in nursing we still have a lot of improvement to make," Hines said. "That is one of the areas where here at St. Thomas we want to have students from underrepresented groups in nursing."
Hines is also concerned about the vacancy rates at rural hospitals and clinics.
“The numbers remain high in the rural areas where people are underserved," Hines said. "We need more people to be able to provide healthcare in the rural areas of Minnesota, but overall, looking at the report, the numbers are really looking a lot better."
