Where Would We Be Without Nurses?

By Kathryn Tart, as told to Tyler Hicks

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public started hearing about the sacred moments that have always been a part of the nursing profession. Many of these moments were heartbreaking; others were uplifting.

For instance, there were the times we held iPads in front of our patients so they could say goodbye to their families. Then there were the births: Amid the chaos of a global crisis, we helped bring new life to our world.

As nurses, we take these moments incredibly seriously. And as a nursing leader, it’s part of my job to help prepare nurses for every sacred professional moment they will encounter.

Nursing leaders like myself and my colleagues at the University of Houston must be champions for our nurses. And right now, our state’s nurses need champions more than ever before.

The Nursing Shortage

At some point over the past several years, you’ve likely heard of the ongoing nursing shortage affecting hospitals and clinics across the country.

Recently, nearly 100,000 nurses left the workforce due to pandemic stress, and almost 800,000 nurses intend to leave by 2027, according to a 2022 survey by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. However, UH students are bravely countering that trend. Enrollment has increased by 141% since 2018, and program leadership is deeply committed to both our students and the statewide pipeline of nurses.

Our incredible faculty are always thinking about the future of our profession and the health care industry at large, and in order to keep our students happy, healthy and prepared for long-term careers, we’re addressing this nursing shortage on multiple fronts.

Taking Action

In the early days of my career, it took me well over an hour to shop for a few groceries. I was a nurse, and it seemed like I couldn’t go to the store without running into former patients, their families and other members of the community.

Unfortunately, many nurses now live in fear when running errands or traveling throughout their own communities. There’s been a link between misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and an increase in violence at hospitals, and many of our colleagues take long, circuitous routes home to avoid being followed. Some of our fellow nurses have been attacked or even killed at work.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, health care and social service workers are five times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall, and 1 in 4 nurses reported being physically assaulted in a 2019 American Nurses Association survey.

This is why my UH colleagues have joined other nursing leaders and state lawmakers to draft and file an important new law. I’m happy to say that Senate Bill 240 has passed, giving nurses a more active role in the now-mandatory development of robust violence prevention programs in their hospitals.

Our nurses need this protection, and our university is ready to do everything we can to help them get it.

Prioritizing Wellness

Students’ first lecture at the Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing is about wellness. It focuses on taking care of yourself as a nurse, covering topics including time and stress management, self-care, diet and exercise. It sends a vital message to our students: We care about you outside the hospital, too.

Though the course was part of our curriculum before the pandemic, we’ve since doubled down on this investment in our students. Just as we equip our future nurses with the technical knowledge they need to excel, we must also provide tools they need to build healthy lifestyles.

We also prioritize mentorship, connecting students with talented teachers and veteran nurses who model the kinds of healthy behaviors crucial to longevity and resilience in health care. I’m immensely proud of a lot of things we do at the Gessner College of Nursing, but our focus on wellness may be our “secret sauce.”

Furthering the Industry

Many of our students have a job offer in hand well before they graduate. In 2021, every student who earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing was employed upon graduation, and in 2022, 99% were employed—the only exception being a student who was expecting a baby.

After they walk across that stage, they graduate with one of the highest incomes and the lowest debt relative to others in their profession. While these facts will always bring us joy, we’re not stopping there; we want to strengthen the nursing pipeline across the state of Texas.

That’s why I meet and strategize with my fellow university deans across the state multiple times a year—and we’ve already achieved great success.

Research shows that the higher a nurse’s level of education, the better the patient outcome, including fewer deaths, infections and falls and shorter lengths of stay. We set out in 2020 to raise the percentage of nurses with bachelor’s degrees in the nation to 80%, and we have so far in Texas raised it from approximately 42% to 64%. Universities and community colleges across the state are continuing to work hard to meet our goal of 80%.

We’re focused on removing every possible barrier standing between nurses and the careers they want through a collaborative, strategic approach. This takes many forms, including advocating for nurses at the highest levels of state government; investing in grants, scholarships and other valuable subsidies for our students; and encouraging young men and women who are brilliant and caring to join this noble profession that will give them a good salary and a lifetime of making a difference in patients’ lives. We want to make sure our nurses mirror the population we serve.

Caring for the Carers

We know this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach; sometimes, money isn’t the sole barrier. But by getting to know our students as mentees, we develop lifelong relationships that endure every season of their careers. When a UH grad needs someone to turn to, we’re there.

Think about it: Everyone, at some point, will receive care from a nurse. They’re often one of the first people we see when we enter the world, and one of the last people who tend to us in our final moments.

If nurses are caring for people through every chapter of life, then it’s only right that we do everything we can to support them in every chapter of theirs. That’s why we’re leaving no stone unturned as we look out for the caretakers who bring so much comfort, peace and expertise to our communities and our loved ones: so we can ensure our patients have the best support possible for all the sacred moments to come.