Area health care officials and administrators are taking steps to prepare for a potential nursing shortage while leaving others to fend for themselves.
“There is a national shortage for nurses, and when you talk about nursing, I’m thinking about licensed practical nurses, and there’s a lot of competition out there for nurses in the workforce,” said Brett Coble, administrator of Elmbrook Home, a nursing home in Ardmore. “We’re always looking for good caring people to come join us.”
“The nursing home industry state association does not work closely with the state government to find and increase incentives for people to come and work in our industry,” said Coble, who added that Elmbrook gets a lot of competition from the local veterans’ center, private practices and hospitals, which makes it tough.
“The shortage has been ongoing for a number of years,” Coble said. “There’s a lot out there for someone wanting to be a nurse, they shouldn’t have a problem finding a job.”
And one major issue Coble is really worried about is the baby boomer generation.
“It’ll affect the industry in a large way. When you talk about the baby boomers aging, you talk about them aging out of the workforce and into the retirement sector. The demand for health care will be higher and yet the workforce will be smaller. It’s really a two-edged sword. It will have a major impact and I think it will change the landscape of how health care is delivered.”
A nursing home typically employs a staff consisting of nurses, nurses’ aides, medical aides, speech therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists. Hospital administrators across the state report an increased shortage in many of these positions as well.
“Sometimes it’s kind of difficult to find nurses for the specialty areas,” said Tony Malaska, director of public relations of Pauls Valley General Hospital. “Those specialty area nurses, that’s where you get into some trouble.”
Local officials argue that hospitals have an equally tough time competing during a shortage of staff, especially when money is tight. And about three years ago, Pauls Valley experienced some of those hardships firsthand.
“It wasn’t a firing period or layoffs, it was called furlough days and it happened about three or four years ago,” Malaska said. “It was a situation where we didn’t just say see you later. And that’s why we’ve been pretty fortunate.”
Malaska said that Valley View Regional Hospital in Ada had a similar layoff experience a few months ago.
Keith Howard, 221-6542
keith.howard@ardmoreite.com
