Kansas nursing shortage has lawmakers searching for answers

The state has been dealing with a nursing shortage, and to help with that, the legislature has been spending about $40 million every year on contract nursing.

Contract nursing helps fill vacant positions here in Kansas by bringing in nurses from outside of the sunflower state. Ashley Byram, the Superintendent at the Osawatomie State Hospital, tells us that it’s incredibly important.

“We are really focused on trying to keep our staff safe, and if we don’t have contract nursing, it’s going to be difficult to maintain those beds and the mental health population in Kansas,” said Byram

However, contract nursing comes with a hefty price tag. Taxpayers have spent about $160 million for contract nursing during the past 4 years.

If the state had enough local health professionals, lawmakers wouldn’t need to spend as much on contract nurses, potentially saving the state tens of millions of dollars. Because of this, Byram says lawmakers and hospitals alike should be working to offer more to local nurses.

“What else is it that we can provide? What other incentives can we use to get state employees to come on? Is it looking at insurance premiums, is it vacation or sick time? What can we offer that the agencies can’t?”

Unfortunately, efforts to recruit state employed nurses have been difficult. State educators say, enrollment numbers are declining, and students who are interested in entering the health care field are struggling to show academic readiness.

Heather Morgan, Director for the Kansas Community College Association, tells us. “Certainly, nursing programs require a certain amount of academic preparation, but post pandemic we have seen an increase in the number of students who are not able to necessarily do the math and reading that’s required to be successful in nursing.”

In the off season, lawmakers here at the capitol are diving into how other states are managing nursing shortages, in order to determine a good plan for Kansas moving forward.

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