Everywhere, medical organizations are talking about how many openings they have in their nursing staffs and how hard it has become to fill those.

The Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that by 2020, the country will have at least 400,000 fewer nurses available than will be needed.

The journal also states the average age of a registered nurse is 43.3 years, and is increasing more than twice as fast as all other workforces in the country.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing says the number of nursing students has declined by 21,000 since 1995.

The American Hospital Association says 126,000 nursing positions currently are unfilled in hospitals throughout the nation and 56 percent of hospitals have to use agency or traveling nurses to fill vacancies.

How do those statistics translate into common terms? It means the nation has a whole lot of overworked, stressed-out nurses and it doesn't seem as if the situation is going to get better anytime soon.

Or maybe it will.

Mary Anne Wolesky, the director of hospital nursing services at the Austin Medical Center, says the turnover in nursing has "always been cyclical. In the late '80s, there was an incredible shortage, but schools worked hard to expand programs and that's going on (again)."

She cites several reasons for the nationwide shortage. "There's an increased demand because of an aging population, there are more career opportunities because of increased specialization, many people felt the salaries lagged behind … and when you talk about hospital nursing, the facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, so the hours of our work, at times, can be taxing."

The AMC has been lucky compared to other health-care organizations, though. While exact numbers for how many nursing positions are open right now are unavailable, the entire organization has a vacancy rate of 1.5 percent -- and that is mostly due to new positions opened up by expansions in the different departments, Wolesky says.

This good fortune, Wolesky says, is largely due to a close working relationship with Riverland Community College. Many nurses at the AMC are graduates of Riverland's nursing program and the two have partnered to offer a nursing education sponsorship program, which is a scholarship program for those already enrolled in the associate degree nursing program.

Riverland's nursing program is full for the moment and demand has been so high, "they now offer a January start date. We really commend them on keeping nurses in the pipeline," Wolesky says.

The AMC's staff also is instrumental in recruiting nurses.

"Our staff members are our best recruiters. We have had many students apply at the medical center because they're so impressed … (with) the way (the staff) treats new nursing students," Wolesky explains. "We all work very had to make this a great place to work. Everyone worries, mainly because nurses play such an important role when people are ill."

Additionally, the AMC works to get those who aren't in the nursing program interested in the field.

"One of the most important things we're doing is getting the word about what a rewarding career nursing can be. Many people enjoy the opportunity to work in a family-focused community medical center because it gives them the opportunity to impact, in a positive way, their friends, family and community members they know," says Wolesky. "Despite the difficult and trying nature of the profession, the rewards outweigh that."

Amanda L. Rohde can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:amanda.rohde@austindailyherald.com