Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Rhode Island Hospital is looking overseas to fill some nursing jobs because there aren't enough job candidates in Rhode Island or elsewhere in the nation, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy said today.

Rhode Island Hospital is one of a number of hospitals that have asked Kennedy recently to support a measure that generally would provide visas to foreign nurses so they could get jobs in the U.S., Kennedy said.

Forecasts are for a shortage of 1 million nursing jobs in the U.S. in the next five years, partly because baby boomers are retiring, Kennedy said at a meeting of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce today.

One reason there aren't enough U.S. nurses to fill vacancies is that Rhode Island College and other institutions that teach nursing don't have enough faculty, Kennedy told about 500 business leaders and others at the meeting, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick. Demand is so great that there is a waiting list of students who want to study at Rhode Island College's School of Nursing, Kennedy said.

 Tags  Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce Neil Downing Rhode Island College Rhode Island Hospital RIC shortage of nurses

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