To combat staffing shortages, nursing schools are changing the way they teach

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Amid a planetary pandemic and a nationwide shortage of nurses, galore nursing schools are shifting the absorption of the program to marque definite students are graduating with the tools to assistance them absorption connected self-care.

Annie Nelson is simply a nursing pupil present astatine the University of Tennessee's College of Nursing. Now successful her elder year, this 22-year-old is getting acceptable to graduate. And she’s already feeling the strain of being a nurse.

"It's conscionable been a batch to manage," Nelson explained.

When adjacent UT Medical Center deed grounds debased staffing levels a fewer months ago, students similar Nelson were abruptly called successful to help. As portion of a caller aviator programme betwixt UT and the exigency room, students are being tapped to assistance with a terrible nationwide shortage of nurses.

"They inquire maine to travel successful each the clip and I consciousness atrocious saying no; it's truly go a acquisition successful however bash I prioritize?" she said.

Working successful a existent infirmary successful the mediate of a pandemic has taught these students a lot. The wellness attraction workforce has seen large declines successful the past fewer months.

With burnout rates for nurses crossed the state incredibly precocious close now, nursing schools are trying to amended hole students for erstwhile they spell into the world

A fewer 100 kids postgraduate from the programme each year, but galore extremity up leaving wellness attraction aft lone 1 oregon 2 years.

"We are truly trying to amended the adjacent procreation of nurses arsenic to however tin you instrumentality attraction of yourself," said Victoria Niederhauser, dean of the assemblage of nursing.

As a result, professors present person shifted their focus. Aspiring nurses are inactive being taught however to commencement an IV, but they are besides learning the value of self-care.

"It’s hard for them to deliberation they person to springiness to themselves. The connection we’re trying to supply is you person to instrumentality attraction of yourself. You won’t past successful this assemblage if you don’t," Niederhauser added.

The anticipation is that erstwhile students similar Annie Nelson get full-time jobs, they’ll beryllium amended capable to negociate the pressures of being a nurse.

"Putting myself archetypal has been an contented and a situation astatine these times, but I person to enactment myself archetypal successful bid to instrumentality attraction of different people," Nelson said.