Local healthcare and higher education leaders will gather next week for a summit to discuss ways they can work collaboratively to address the region’s current nursing shortage and establish a more robust pipeline of nurses for the future.
The invite-only Summit on the Nursing Workforce in Northwest Ohio will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday, June 6, at the Main Library in downtown Toledo.
The event is being organized by Lourdes University, Owens Community College, ProMedica, The University of Toledo and The University of Toledo Medical Center.
In addition to the organizing organizations above, attendees are expected to also include representatives from Advanced Specialty Hospital of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, Defiance College, The Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio, Mercy College, Mercy Health, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and Regency Hospital.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has played a significant role in the current nursing shortage, many experts had been warning of a looming shortage for years as America’s baby boomers aged and experienced nurses retired or shifted to different occupations.
Meanwhile, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing says nursing school enrollment is not growing fast enough to meet the projected demand over the next decade, which is estimated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics at more than 203,000 openings annually.
Next week’s summit is focused on gaining a better understanding of our region’s specific workforce needs and the local, regional and national factors affecting the recruitment, education, funding, hiring and retention of nurses.
Representatives from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Press Ganey, a national consulting company that specializes in patient satisfaction, will be the featured speakers.
Organizers of the event are working to create a regional strategy to improve the recruitment and retention of nursing students and to enhance job satisfaction and retention of nurses in our region.
As a follow-up to the invite-only summit, organizers also will host a livestreamed discussion on the Ohio nursing workforce that’s open to nurses, nurse leaders, students, faculty, and interested stakeholders across the state.
That event will take place via WebEx from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Individuals also can attend in person on UToledo’s Health Science Campus in Collier Building, Room 1000B.
Jerry Mansfield, a board member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and Mary Jo Assi, associate chief nursing officer and partner in strategic consulting at Press Ganey, will be the featured speakers.
Individuals who wish to attend in person or via WebEx must register online in advance.
