The University of Wisconsin is starting an accelerated nursing program in May to deal with a statewide shortage.
The Wisconsin Center for Nursing Research projects a shortage of 20-thousand nurses in the state by the year 2035.
Nicolet College's two-year Associate's program is seeing strong enrollment, says Dean of Health Occupations Candy Dailey....
"....at Nicolet our enrollments are full and we're usually able to accommodate people who apply as soon as they apply. We recently took in a part-time group that was in the fall of 2017...they are typically people who work all day and they come to school two nights a week and they do their clinicals on the weekend to try to get more nurses in the workforce...."
Dailey says the need for nurses will continue to grow as the nation's population ages. She says with more need in nursing homes, hospitals and assisted living facilities there will be a need for more nurses. Dailey says the recent report also showed another growing need for nurse educators. She says Nicolet recently began a state grant to also fill another need...
"....and that is for nursing assistants, we also have a shortage of them. they can go to the Nicolet website and the DHS(Department of Health Services) will pay for their education. If they sign on with a nursing home that is participating, they can get a $500 bonus after they've worked in that nursing home for six months...."
More information is on the Nicolet College website. A Public Policy Research Paper in 2014 said the need for replacements of retiring workers and new openings would mean about one million nurses will be needed to meet the nation’s demand by 2022.
