New nursing partnership a boon to community

Published 3:37 pm Saturday, May 12, 2018

It’s been said that how a society treats its most vulnerable is a measure of its humanity. Each day nurses all over the country care for the needs of those in need among us, often at their most critical state. 

The need for more in the profession is great, however, particularly in rural communities like Baldwin County. That’s why this week’s unveiling of the new partnership between Georgia College’s nursing program and Navicent Health Baldwin is such great news. The new Nursing Simulation and Translational Research Center fills a local need by providing training at home for local nursing students in hopes of retaining them to work in communities like Baldwin County. 

No longer do local nursing students have to travel to Macon to gain the necessary hands-on experience, they can get it right here at home. This bodes well for nursing students who have families and other obligations beyond their studies but it also adds a presence at the local hospital, filling approximately 5,500 square feet on the third floor of the Cobb Tower with activity and learning. The new center is already equipped with patient rooms, nursing stations and labs. 

This new partnership also helps to continue strengthening the relationship between the local medical community, the hospital’s new ownership, and the community at-large.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be more than 1 million vacancies for registered nurses by 2024. In Georgia alone, estimates are that we will need 50,000 more RNs by 2030, according to the Georgia Nurses Association.

Patients are living longer than ever before, requiring more care than in the past and necessitating a greater need. Additionally, a growing number of nurses are aging out of the workforce.

Yet, the Bureau lists nursing among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2024. The RN workforce is expected to grow from 2.7 million in 2014 to 3.2 million in 2024, an increase of 439,300 or 16 percent.

In rural communities, the need is much greater. Rural hospitals often have difficulty keeping nurses, because bigger facilities hire them for higher pay. Creative, outside of the box thinking like this new partnership will be what’s needed to fill this rural nursing gap. 

This week communities and health care professionals celebrated National Nurses Week, recognizing the work of nurses everywhere. It takes a special kind of dedication, focus and compassion to be a nurse, and it’s certainly not a job for everyone. Here’s hoping the new Nursing Simulation and Translational Research Center will keep the best and brightest of these special individuals a little closer to home to continue caring for the most vulnerable among us.