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Findings from regional stakeholder meeting on nursing crisis

Discussions reveal similarities and differences throughout the state

cover art of the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center Q2 Regional Stakeholder Report
Cover of the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center's Q2 2023 Regional Stakeholder Report

The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center, based at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, released its second report detailing findings from three regional stakeholder meetings in June.

Pittsburg State University co-hosted a southeast regional meeting on June 21 in Pittsburg, KS, Hays Medical Center co-hosted a western regional meeting on June 22 in Hays, KS, and Stormont Vail Health/Baker University co-hosted a north central meeting on June 27 in Junction City, KS.

Health care stakeholders, including associations, educators, legislators, nurses and other health care providers attended each meeting and discussed how the documented nursing workforce crisis specifically affects that region of the state.

“We were very pleased by not only the numbers of individuals that attended the Southeast Kansas Regional Stakeholder meeting but also the stakeholder interests that were represented by the attendees,” said meeting co-host Mary Carol G. Pomatto, Ed.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Pittsburg State University. “We had health care providers including nurses and physicians, KU and PSU School of Nursing faculty, health care system and nonprofit agency administrators, and local, state, and federal lawmakers and/or constituent office representatives, among others. The diversity of interests represented among the group provided for rich discussion.”

Brian Pfannenstiel, MSN, RN, director of critical care at Hays Medical Center echoed those thoughts. “I believe that the regional stakeholder meeting was well received in the region.  Many attendees stated they would like to be part of additional meetings and development of the workforce center in Kansas,” he said. “Having the different perspectives is the key in developing a workforce center that meets the needs of Kansas as a whole.”

Conversations revealed that all regional stakeholders desire access to a central source of nursing workforce data. This finding was the number one desire uncovered during the March 21, 2023, Topeka stakeholder meeting.

From that common desire, each region differed in their top priorities.

The top priorities in Pittsburg revealed a desire to:

  • Create a positive image of nursing (marketing);
  • Increase student pipeline (high school or younger); recruit non-traditional students/career changers;
  • Create ongoing student loan forgiveness programs for rural nurses;
  • Make it easier to practice nursing (childcare/family leave/increase salary);
  • Create even wage scale for nurses across Kansas (urban/suburban/rural/frontier).

In Hays, the top priorities included:

  • Retain existing nurses; show appreciation;
  • Creatively solve travel agency staffing issues (regulation, regional nursing pools);
  • Increase scholarships;
  • Inspire more nursing students and promote rural nursing;
  • Create nursing leadership programs.

And in Junction City, there was a desire for:

  • Data (provide a centralized process for access, sharing, etc.);
  • Pathways to nursing in high schools and tech schools;
  • Map to scholarship opportunities;
  • Advertising nursing like joining the Army; image of nursing;
  • Rural clinicals and standardized training.

“We have seen that Kansas has nursing workforce needs that can be attributed to the entire state and needs that are regional in nature,” said Hays meeting co-host Terry Siek, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer at Hays Medical Center. “If the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center works on the common needs, the regions will be able to work on their own unique needs. We want all stakeholders to be actively involved.”

“I am grateful to our partners at PSU, Hays Med and Stormont Vail/Baker,” said Amy Garcia, DNP, FAAN, director of the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center. “They each invited the key players from their region and facilitated rich discussion. It shows there is a strong appetite for tackling the systemic and persistent nursing workforce issues that Kansas faces. As director of the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center, I look forward to connecting the people interested in solving these problems so Kansans can access nurses when and where they are needed.”

With the official launch of the center in August, focus now turns to creating the central nursing data source for Kansas.

“With nurses being the largest group of health care professionals, it is critical to have accurate data to support strategies to grow and retain numbers of nurses,” said Dr. Pomatto.

The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center is working to form an advisory board and to highlight successful nursing workforce initiatives so that solutions can be adopted and applied more broadly.

“I hope the stakeholders who attended the regional meeting left feeling a sense of urgency and hope,” said Mr. Siek. “The issues that surfaced have been long-standing and everyone has been on their own little islands trying to solve them. The workforce center can be seen as a way for those long-standing issues to finally be resolved.”

Download the regional stakeholder report or opt in for email alerts to stay informed on center activities, including future reports and study opportunities.


Kansas Nursing Workforce Center

KU School of Nursing
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Mail Stop 2029
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-588-1619 | TTY 711
nursingwill@kumc.edu