LINCOLN- A new coalition in the state, formally called the Nebraska Healthcare Workforce Collaborative, has been formed to solve the healthcare worker shortage, and has already been able to request nearly $10 million to expand clinical training sites for nurses. These sites, at which medical students get hands-on training under seasoned professionals, are a critical step toward filling nursing jobs faster, according to Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association.

State Sen. Jana Hughes, in partnership with the coalition, intends to introduce a bill that would allocate the necessary funding to build these sites. Sen. Hughes' bill would also offer financial incentives for nurses to become trainers at these clinical sites. On top of this, the collaborative is also seeking to conduct extensive employer and worksite surveys, hoping to collect enough data to identify the problems affecting the medical workforce.

"Taking a larger step back and putting together a statewide plan has really been missing," stated Nordquist, "and we're kind of paying for it right now." Currently, Nebraska is facing an impending shortage of 5,435 nurses by 2025, according to the Nebraska Center for Nursing. As for physicians, 58 of the state's 93 counties have been designated as "shortage areas."

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