Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Then, commission members said, the need for keeping existing nursing faculty and expanding the number of men and women graduating from the state's schools will be clear.

And Rhode Island's aging population will only make the need for nurses even more acute.

Ruth Ricciarelli, executive director of the Center for Health Professions at the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, said the current shortage of nurses isn't obvious because many are working longer hours or putting off retirement, especially if the economic downturn has put a family member out of work or the stock market crash has wiped out their investments.

As a result, 60 percent of the state's nurses now work full time, up from 40 percent a few years ago, she said. "Instead of nurses working 30 hours, they picked up extra hours. That absorbed some of those jobs that were available."

And the state's nurses tend to be older. The average age of a nurse in Rhode Island is 50.

"You're going to see a rapid exit of nurses once the economy turns," predicted Donna Policastro, executive director of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. "That aging nurse who is hanging on for dear life is going to leave, retire," and there won't be enough people to replace them.

There are, in fact, nursing jobs, said Williams. The vacancy rate for all nursing positions in Rhode Island is 6.8 percent.

But many graduates only want to work the day shift in a hospital or don't want the less-prestigious nursing home and home health care jobs. The vacancy rate was above 13 percent when the legislative committee began its work in 2008.

In the hospitals where there are jobs, officials don't want to hire new graduates because they can be expensive to train and there is a fear is that, once trained, they will leave to take another job, said commission co-chair Lynne M. Dunphy of URI's College of Nursing.

"Because of the cost [and the economic squeeze hospitals find themselves in] it's more difficult than ever to train graduates," she said.

Nurses who teach in Rhode Island nursing schools tend to make far less than nurses working in private-sector jobs. The commission opted to recommend the $3,500 nonrefundable tax credit because it would cost less than dramatically increasing salaries at state-run nursing schools.

The state could lose as much as a half million dollars per year of the tax credit is passed, but that would be offset by the economic benefits to health care facilities who hire their students, said commission co-chairman Sen. James E. Doyle II, D-Pawtucket.

Having enough nurses would save hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities millions of dollars in overtime pay, recruitment costs and temporary help, he said.

Even if there are nurses without jobs now, the shortage of nurses, he said, "is going to be a serious issue some day."

gemery@projo.com / (401)277-7442