Trident Tech's plan would help end state's shortage of nurses

Trident Technical College President Mary Thornley's announcement that the school will aggressively seek funds to help build a new nursing, science and math facility comes at an extremely important time, not just for our Lowcountry community but our entire state and nation.

The current national nursing shortage is expected to intensify as we approach the year 2020. The following facts tell an important story about this developing crisis:

-- 50 percent of Americans who have ever reached the age of 65 are alive today.

-- By 2020, 71 million Americans will be age 65-plus, accounting for 20 percent of the U.S. population.

-- As the population ages and demand for health care grows, large numbers of health care workers will be retiring at the same time, making shortages likely. In fact, 75 percent of S.C. nurses are over age 40.

-- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects that by 2020 more than a million new registered nurses will be needed in our nation's health care system to meet the demand for nursing.

-- While the demand for additional nurses increases each year, the output of graduates remains constant.

-- Every year, thousands of qualified students are turned away from nursing programs due, in many instances, to lack of classroom space and nursing faculty.

-- In South Carolina, 1,100 qualified applicants to nursing programs were turned away in 2005, and 52 full-time faculty positions went unfilled in 2006.

In recent weeks, many have written letters to the editor expressing their opinions on this important issue. I'm encouraged by the response because it shows people understand the seriousness of our situation and the need to take decisive action to effectively address it now.

I agree the solution requires more than just a "bricks and mortar" approach, and so does the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA).

Last year, SCHA, with considerable input and support from the S.C. Organization of Nurse Leaders and the S.C. Council of Deans and Directors of Nursing Education, put forth a comprehensive plan to address the nursing shortage in our state.

Called "One Voice, One Plan," it proposes steps aimed at increasing the number of full-time nursing faculty members and thereby significantly improving our state's ability to accept, educate and graduate student nurses in a timely fashion.

We must also ensure adequate facilities to house these increased numbers of nursing faculty members and students. Trident Technical College's proposal will do just that. TTC's new facility will not only mean more nurses, but it will also go a long way to addressing critical shortages in other allied health professions.

People go into nursing because they want to make a difference for their patients. We know this because we see it every day in our hospitals. Daily, we receive comments and letters, many of which are published in this newspaper, that reflect the immense appreciation patients and their loved ones feel for the nurses who care for them during a hospital visit. Many of these nurses are TTC graduates.

We strongly support President Thornley's proposal and urge our state legislators and people living in our community to join with us to make this new facility a reality.

David L. Dunlap, FACHE, is president and chief executive officer of Roper St. Francis Healthcare.