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(upbeat music)

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- Hello, and welcome to another edition

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of "Career Education Report."

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I'm Jason Altmire, and
today, we're gonna talk

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about the nursing shortage.

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We've spent a lot of time focusing

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on the workforce shortage across America

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in the different professions,

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and today, focusing specifically
on the nursing shortage,

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which is an acute problem across America,

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and our guest today is Patty Knecht.

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She is vice president
and chief nursing officer

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for Ascend Learning Healthcare.

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Patty, thank you for being with us.

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- Thank you, Jason, I appreciate it.

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- And the reason I had you on

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is you are a thought leader in this space,

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and we very much appreciate
you joining us for the episode.

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You've done a lot of work
on this, you've studied it.

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I saw an opinion piece that you wrote

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that made some strong recommendations

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on what we can do about the shortage.

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I wanna, before starting into
the details of the issue,

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I just wanna ask about
Ascend Learning Healthcare.

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Can you tell us a little
bit about what you do?

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- Sure, I would love to.

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So at Ascend Learning Healthcare,

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I'll start with our motto,

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because I think it really
tells a quick story,

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is we help to change lives,

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and we're committed

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to accelerating the learning
pathway for all people

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that allow them to move into careers

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across healthcare, education,
wellness, and safety.

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Essentially, we're a
software-based company,

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we're data-driven educational support,

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and how we accelerate that learning

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is we do it through
educational technology.

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We also do it through focused remediation.

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We use analytics in order to help

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both the individual
learner and the programs,

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the schools, the universities,

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improve their outcomes,
and thus, create a graduate

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that will feel more confident

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and their retention will be improved

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in that healthcare space.

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So our sole purpose is to
really open up those doors wide

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to that healthcare education pathway,

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and allow students to
have the great success

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of being a healthcare provider,

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which I have loved over
the last four decades.

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- And can you talk about,

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as we think about the shortage of nurses,

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I think everyone kinda takes for granted

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that nurses exist in the
healthcare ecosystem,

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you see them wherever
you go in healthcare,

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but, you know, globally,
across the healthcare system,

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what is the role of nurses?

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And I would include within that discussion

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the assistants, nursing
assistants, physician assistants.

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There's a lot of public policy debate

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about what level of education is necessary

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to carry out certain tasks
in the nursing profession.

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How do you see all of that play out?

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- So I think what's important, first,

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for the public to know and understand

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is that there are various
entry points for nursing

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within the healthcare system,

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and each one of them is
unique and important.

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from that frontline worker,

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who is that potential
certified nursing assistant,

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could be a medical assistant,

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what's their first step
into a health career?

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That could occur even while
they're in high school,

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depending on the criteria

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and the certifications available to them.

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They could start that career
in a technical setting,

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then, as they take that next step,

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it could be a career ladder
that they choose to follow,

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or they could decide
right out of high school

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that they're gonna enroll

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in a university baccalaureate RN program.

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That's one choice.

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They're essential within both
your acute-care settings,

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your outpatient settings,
long-term care, you name it.

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When you enter a healthcare setting,

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you'll highly likely
interact with a nurse,

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and that nurse could be that RN,

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or a very important other licensed role

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is the licensed practical nurse,

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or in some states, called the
licensed vocational nurse.

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That's a much shorter program,

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often housed in our career
and technical schools,

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could be in other educational settings,

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and also could be in
our community colleges.

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So I think, first, what I
love to help people understand

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is that nurses are present
in our healthcare settings

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in order to ensure safe, effective
continuity of healthcare.

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They're often that pivotal
wheel, cog in the wheel,

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that ensures that all of your healthcare

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is gonna go smoothly,

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whether it's that entry-level person

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who's trained at a certificate level,

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or your licensed LPN, RN,

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or your advanced practice nurse,

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who could be your nurse practitioner,

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or could be your certified
registered nurse anesthetist,

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and then if we go on the
medicine side of the house,

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could be your physician assistant.

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All of those roles come together

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as an interdisciplinary team

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to ensure that we, in the
United States, have access

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to high-quality care
that's based on evidence.

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So in our recent, most
intense times, as Covid hit,

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these nurses, you heard them on the news,

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you heard about the LPNs

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that were in the long-term care settings

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and were dealing with
countless hospitalizations

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that were causing their elderly
patients to become more ill.

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So in many times, in that
particular situation,

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that LPN might have tried
to stabilize that patient

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in that environment, in that
long-term care facility,

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or determined,

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in collaboration with
the RN and the physician,

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that they needed to move
to a higher level of care

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in an acute care setting
or a critical care setting.

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So all of these different,
various points of care

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involve nurses,

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and the nurse's ability to
interact with the patient

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is essential to their recovery.

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- So with that as background,

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we talk about the gap that exists

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in the available jobs for nurses

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and the people that are able to fill them.

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What does the data show?

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What exactly is the shortage
of nurses in this country?

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What are the numbers?

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- Yep, so we have a lot of
different reference points

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that we can look at,

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but it's estimated that the
United States will have a gap

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between 200 and 450,000 nurses

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available for direct patient care

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by the year 2025.

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That's right around the corner.

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Why has that happened?

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It's happened because the
average age of a nurse

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continued to increase over time

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from a workforce perspective,

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so we ended up having a slightly
aging nursing population.

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Thus, these baby boomers are
ready and in retirement mode,

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and so we have seen an
exodus of our nurses

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from a retirement perspective.

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That alone could have
implicated the shortage

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and could have really caused some unrest

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in our healthcare system,

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but what has complicated that is,

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particularly after covid,

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although there are many pieces of evidence

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that will also point to before Covid,

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we were starting to have
some workforce impacts

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to our nurses,

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where the amount of
burnout, extreme stress,

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the workplace violence,

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was increasing,

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and as a result of that,

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we know that there's statistics
now that are telling us

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that even our 30-and-under
nurse age category

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is leaving nursing and moving to other,

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maybe other areas that are
still requiring a license,

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but are less direct patient care,

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but there are some nurses

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who are leaving the profession completely,

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and that's really the part
that woke up the country

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and said, okay, it's not just
all about the retirements,

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it's also about the workplace

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and our need to ensure

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that we are creating a safe workplace

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for our nurses to practice
and serve our communities.

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(chiming music)

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- So as we sit here in 2024,

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and you said, and you've written,

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that more than 610,000 registered nurses

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have the intent to leave
the workforce by 2027,

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so we're talking three years from now,

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that America, if that is true,

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would need to double the number

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of new nurses entering
the workforce yearly,

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every year, for the next three years,

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just to meet that demand,

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not incorporating any growth that occurs,

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so this is a nationwide problem

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that has real implications,

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as you have mentioned.

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And I know that, for example,

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the Department of Health
and Human Services

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has recognized it.

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They made an investment of $100 million

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prioritizing nursing
workforce development.

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Do you think that that is enough?

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Is there more that can be done?

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And how has that $100 million working

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to help address the problem?

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- So that $100 million is
honestly just a start, Jason.

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There are many of my
colleagues who are concerned

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that that's only a little ping

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in the large ripple of what we need to do.

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The problem is multifaceted, though.

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Let me talk about the $100
investment just for a minute.

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In that $100 million dollar investment,

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there are some fabulous programs.

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To start with, there's 8.7 million of that

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that is gonna be used to train
LPNs and LVNs to become RNs,

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so part of where we need some help

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is to make sure we have
really strong pathways

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so that we're able to bring
people into a healthcare career

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and quickly move them along the pathway

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so that they recognize that
they have a sustainable wage,

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particularly in the impacts of inflation

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that we're feeling today.

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So that's one of the areas
that's critically important.

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There's also 26.5
million that is allocated

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to the nursing faculty loan program.

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That's across many types of nursing,

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I talked about some of
them briefly before,

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and again, it's to encourage individuals

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that are in a situation

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where perhaps they couldn't
take on the full burden

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of the cost of education,

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and it gives them the likely ability

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to be able to recoup some of that money

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when they graduate

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and they provide service
to our communities.

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And aligned with that, remember,

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we also have even more
of a critical shortage

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in some of our underserved
and rural areas,

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So some of this $100 million dollars

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is strategically focused on making sure

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that we reach those particular areas.

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The other piece that I
would love to mention

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is there's $30 million that is invested

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in residency and fellowship programs,

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and what we have learned over time is,

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when someone enters in a nursing program,

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we are graduating a generalist

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who is able to practice
at a minimum entry level,

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and remember, when a nurse
graduates, they are...

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Yes, they have an onboarding program,

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they have a residency program,

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but not all programs look
alike across our country,

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and what we wanna ensure

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is that there's a very solid entry point,

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that the nurses are feeling guaranteed,

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that they will walk into an environment

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where they are supported,

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where they're able to transition
to a larger patient load,

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and really be able to engage
as quickly as possible

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in what we refer to as clinical judgment.

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Clinical judgment is part of
what makes a nurse a nurse,

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and particularly when you get
into the area of licensure.

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And why is that so important?

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It's so important
because there is evidence

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that has confirmed for us

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that 46% of tasks
performed by entry nurses

264
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are linked to clinical judgment,

265
00:13:07,410 --> 00:13:11,250
and 50% of novice nurses are involved

266
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in patient safety events
and critical incidents.

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That's a 2020 statistic.

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So think about that.

269
00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:21,930
If you're a brand new nurse
and you enter your first job,

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00:13:21,930 --> 00:13:25,020
you're excited, you love nursing,

271
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and then you make a mistake,

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it really is impactful to retention,

273
00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:34,980
it is impactful to that
nurse feeling very confident

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00:13:34,980 --> 00:13:36,360
in their new career,

275
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so the need for nursing education programs

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00:13:39,750 --> 00:13:43,590
and then that segue and
some of that invested money

277
00:13:43,590 --> 00:13:47,610
to help ensure that we
are transitioning nurses

278
00:13:47,610 --> 00:13:51,090
from the education environment
to the practice environment

279
00:13:51,090 --> 00:13:53,610
in a way that is more seamless

280
00:13:53,610 --> 00:13:55,650
is essential, right now.

281
00:13:55,650 --> 00:14:00,270
- And what's the role of nursing
schools in this equation?

282
00:14:00,270 --> 00:14:05,250
- So in the last year, so April 1st, 2023,

283
00:14:05,250 --> 00:14:09,210
we have an exam, which is
the entry to practice exam,

284
00:14:09,210 --> 00:14:10,890
it's called NCLEX,

285
00:14:10,890 --> 00:14:12,630
and it is administered

286
00:14:12,630 --> 00:14:15,270
by National Council
State Board of Nursing.

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00:14:15,270 --> 00:14:18,510
They had done some very extensive research

288
00:14:18,510 --> 00:14:21,600
in the previous, probably,
about seven years,

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00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,500
where they, every couple of years, engage

290
00:14:25,500 --> 00:14:28,470
in an in-depth practice analysis.

291
00:14:28,470 --> 00:14:32,970
They observe what nurses
are doing every day

292
00:14:32,970 --> 00:14:35,040
in their healthcare setting,

293
00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:39,510
and what they identified
is that we needed to ensure

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00:14:39,510 --> 00:14:41,070
that on that exam,

295
00:14:41,070 --> 00:14:44,760
we were testing the student graduate

296
00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,820
for competency in clinical judgment,

297
00:14:47,820 --> 00:14:50,460
so what became important

298
00:14:50,460 --> 00:14:54,090
is that there were new ways of measuring

299
00:14:54,090 --> 00:14:56,460
from a psychometric perspective,

300
00:14:56,460 --> 00:14:58,980
so a very fair perspective,

301
00:14:58,980 --> 00:15:02,310
of whether a nurse had
gained the knowledge,

302
00:15:02,310 --> 00:15:04,680
and the skills, and abilities

303
00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:09,680
in order to perform those
clinical judgment decisions.

304
00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,270
And so that's what nursing schools

305
00:15:12,270 --> 00:15:15,660
in the last two years, in particular,

306
00:15:15,660 --> 00:15:17,880
have laser-focused on,

307
00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:22,110
ensuring that they were using
different types of modalities,

308
00:15:22,110 --> 00:15:24,720
like a simulation.

309
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:28,710
Simulations became core
to nursing education.

310
00:15:28,710 --> 00:15:31,140
You can't expect that every student

311
00:15:31,140 --> 00:15:34,470
will have the exact same
clinical experience,

312
00:15:34,470 --> 00:15:37,830
and one of the barriers to enrollment,

313
00:15:37,830 --> 00:15:42,830
one of the barriers to increasing
the pipeline of students

314
00:15:42,870 --> 00:15:47,250
and being able to get them
through a nursing program

315
00:15:47,250 --> 00:15:49,170
is the lack of clinical sites,

316
00:15:49,170 --> 00:15:51,780
along with the nurse faculty shortage,

317
00:15:51,780 --> 00:15:53,820
which I can get to in a minute.

318
00:15:53,820 --> 00:15:58,200
And so nursing schools have
focused strategically on

319
00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,590
how do I balance and be able to use

320
00:16:01,590 --> 00:16:04,260
educational technology tools,

321
00:16:04,260 --> 00:16:05,880
like a simulation.

322
00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:08,400
Very similar to what originally grew up

323
00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:10,170
in the airline industry,

324
00:16:10,170 --> 00:16:12,690
it's how pilots were trained

325
00:16:12,690 --> 00:16:14,880
for emergencies that could occur,

326
00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:18,750
and now we use it extensively
in the healthcare environment,

327
00:16:18,750 --> 00:16:23,520
and it allows students to
be able to make mistakes,

328
00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:25,710
it allows students to be involved

329
00:16:25,710 --> 00:16:28,380
in adaptive learning technology

330
00:16:28,380 --> 00:16:31,800
so that they're able to
really learn real time,

331
00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,080
with realistic scenarios

332
00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:39,080
that then transfer much
easily, much more easily,

333
00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,670
to that environment in healthcare,

334
00:16:41,670 --> 00:16:45,480
that that will be very quick
to be part of their job role.

335
00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,510
- And you've made a
number of recommendations

336
00:16:48,510 --> 00:16:50,130
on things that can be done

337
00:16:50,130 --> 00:16:51,480
that'll make a real difference

338
00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,030
in solving the problem of
the workforce shortage,

339
00:16:54,030 --> 00:16:57,450
and you mentioned the
shortage of nursing faculty

340
00:16:57,450 --> 00:16:58,770
in schools.

341
00:16:58,770 --> 00:17:02,160
You also talk about
student support services

342
00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:06,240
for a very, very challenging
and rigorous academic journey

343
00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:08,760
that some students may
not be prepared for,

344
00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,280
and you talk about the general issue

345
00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:13,320
of student preparation

346
00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:15,570
moving into a nursing education

347
00:17:15,570 --> 00:17:17,490
in a higher education setting.

348
00:17:17,490 --> 00:17:19,950
What are some of your top recommendations,

349
00:17:19,950 --> 00:17:21,570
as we draw to a close,

350
00:17:21,570 --> 00:17:23,820
in helping to solve this problem?

351
00:17:23,820 --> 00:17:25,620
- The one thing I would like to highlight

352
00:17:25,620 --> 00:17:30,330
is that there is demonstrated
academic learning loss

353
00:17:30,330 --> 00:17:33,150
that has occurred as a result of Covid,

354
00:17:33,150 --> 00:17:35,460
and we are still experiencing that

355
00:17:35,460 --> 00:17:37,980
in all of our schools
throughout the country.

356
00:17:37,980 --> 00:17:40,680
Now, when I opened up,
one thing I didn't mention

357
00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,500
is that Ascend Learning ATI Nursing,

358
00:17:43,500 --> 00:17:46,320
we're in almost 70% of
the nursing schools,

359
00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:48,870
so we see firsthand what's happening,

360
00:17:48,870 --> 00:17:51,930
and the nation's report card confirms

361
00:17:51,930 --> 00:17:55,320
that we have delays that are being noted

362
00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:57,210
in reading and math skills.

363
00:17:57,210 --> 00:17:58,650
In addition to that,

364
00:17:58,650 --> 00:18:01,800
we administer an entrance
test called TEAS,

365
00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:05,460
and in that entrance
test, it was clearly noted

366
00:18:05,460 --> 00:18:08,730
that the people who did not decide

367
00:18:08,730 --> 00:18:10,650
to enroll in nursing schools,

368
00:18:10,650 --> 00:18:14,460
the majority of them, 69%, cited

369
00:18:14,460 --> 00:18:16,830
that it was a lack of
academic preparedness,

370
00:18:16,830 --> 00:18:19,410
so top priority is

371
00:18:19,410 --> 00:18:24,300
that we prepare and
provide for our schools

372
00:18:24,300 --> 00:18:27,720
educational technology environments

373
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:32,010
where students can learn and relearn

374
00:18:32,010 --> 00:18:35,940
some of those key attributes
of math and reading

375
00:18:35,940 --> 00:18:39,420
that are critical to their
success in a rigorous program.

376
00:18:39,420 --> 00:18:41,460
So what does that look like?

377
00:18:41,460 --> 00:18:44,640
It looks like immersing a student

378
00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,990
in some what I'll call
very basic skills in math,

379
00:18:48,990 --> 00:18:50,970
but then reinforcing it

380
00:18:50,970 --> 00:18:53,040
throughout, even, their journey

381
00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,010
in the nursing program
or healthcare program,

382
00:18:56,010 --> 00:18:59,280
making sure that there
is focused remediation,

383
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,380
that there's a adaptive learning,

384
00:19:01,380 --> 00:19:03,870
that we are cognizant of the fact

385
00:19:03,870 --> 00:19:08,850
that students no longer learn
by just reading information,

386
00:19:08,850 --> 00:19:11,310
that we have to meet
them where they're at,

387
00:19:11,310 --> 00:19:15,420
and they live in a world
in which they expect

388
00:19:15,420 --> 00:19:18,810
to infuse and become deep in knowledge

389
00:19:18,810 --> 00:19:22,500
by having multi-senses being impacted,

390
00:19:22,500 --> 00:19:26,340
so animated videos, case studies,

391
00:19:26,340 --> 00:19:29,400
simulations, predictive testing

392
00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:33,780
that focus them very quickly
on short tidbits of learning

393
00:19:33,780 --> 00:19:36,270
that they can easily digest,

394
00:19:36,270 --> 00:19:39,720
and then we can stack the
next piece of learning on it

395
00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:42,120
so that we get them to the end result

396
00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:45,780
of that comprehensive
knowledge base they need

397
00:19:45,780 --> 00:19:49,080
in order to make those good
decisions at point of care.

398
00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:53,040
So that's critical to
where we need support.

399
00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,970
In addition to that, we need
support for our nurse faculty.

400
00:19:56,970 --> 00:19:59,490
We have had a significant turnover.

401
00:19:59,490 --> 00:20:03,930
We have a 9% vacancy rate
in our nurse faculty seats

402
00:20:03,930 --> 00:20:05,460
across the country,

403
00:20:05,460 --> 00:20:06,930
and as a result of that,

404
00:20:06,930 --> 00:20:09,207
we're seeing really strong
clinicians coming in

405
00:20:09,207 --> 00:20:11,280
and joining our nursing faculty,

406
00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:12,720
and we love it,

407
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:14,700
but what we know to be true is

408
00:20:14,700 --> 00:20:19,410
they maybe didn't have education programs

409
00:20:19,410 --> 00:20:21,180
and education principles

410
00:20:21,180 --> 00:20:23,010
as part of their journey,

411
00:20:23,010 --> 00:20:24,870
they're a strong clinician,

412
00:20:24,870 --> 00:20:29,190
so we need to have our
government support funding

413
00:20:29,190 --> 00:20:33,750
that will immerse these new
leaders, these new faculty,

414
00:20:33,750 --> 00:20:36,960
in really understanding
how to engage students

415
00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,450
in the year 2024,

416
00:20:39,450 --> 00:20:42,240
and making sure that they
have adequate resources

417
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:43,860
and infrastructure

418
00:20:43,860 --> 00:20:46,680
in order to create those programs,

419
00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:48,510
and provide that access.

420
00:20:48,510 --> 00:20:51,420
You know, the one point
I would also love to make

421
00:20:51,420 --> 00:20:53,580
is there is incredible evidence

422
00:20:53,580 --> 00:20:57,210
that says people respond
better to healthcare

423
00:20:57,210 --> 00:20:59,970
when there is someone who looks like them,

424
00:20:59,970 --> 00:21:01,800
who they can relate to,

425
00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:04,380
who's providing that frontline care,

426
00:21:04,380 --> 00:21:07,800
so our ability to diversify our workforce,

427
00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:09,930
and have those doors open,

428
00:21:09,930 --> 00:21:12,000
and support those students

429
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,460
through their educational
journey in healthcare

430
00:21:14,460 --> 00:21:15,570
is adamant,

431
00:21:15,570 --> 00:21:18,270
from that medical assistant,
nursing assistant,

432
00:21:18,270 --> 00:21:21,480
right on up to that nurse
practitioner, physician,

433
00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:22,650
whoever it might be,

434
00:21:22,650 --> 00:21:24,660
in that healthcare system.

435
00:21:24,660 --> 00:21:28,890
Lastly, to expand that
capacity of nursing schools,

436
00:21:28,890 --> 00:21:32,400
we talked about the
need for clinical sites,

437
00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:33,900
so our ability

438
00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:38,900
to look at new, emerging clinical
technologies, telehealth,

439
00:21:39,510 --> 00:21:41,970
definitely got wings during Covid,

440
00:21:41,970 --> 00:21:44,280
and remains to be a very important part

441
00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:46,380
of our healthcare delivery system.

442
00:21:46,380 --> 00:21:48,480
Our students need to be educated

443
00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:50,940
in those types of environments,

444
00:21:50,940 --> 00:21:52,470
and we need to recognize

445
00:21:52,470 --> 00:21:55,560
that that's part of the
educational process,

446
00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:57,870
and thus, the pathway to ensuring

447
00:21:57,870 --> 00:22:00,510
that we provide really solid healthcare

448
00:22:00,510 --> 00:22:04,230
for all of our people
in the United States.

449
00:22:04,230 --> 00:22:07,380
And immigration's part
of this whole story, too.

450
00:22:07,380 --> 00:22:11,610
We can have fabulous
impacts to our shortage

451
00:22:11,610 --> 00:22:15,300
if we look at really positive ways

452
00:22:15,300 --> 00:22:17,490
in which we can support people

453
00:22:17,490 --> 00:22:20,670
who might come here
through various programs,

454
00:22:20,670 --> 00:22:23,790
and how can they enter that health career

455
00:22:23,790 --> 00:22:25,830
and get in that pipeline.

456
00:22:25,830 --> 00:22:28,830
- Well, we have covered
a lot of ground here

457
00:22:28,830 --> 00:22:29,871
in this discussion,

458
00:22:29,871 --> 00:22:33,210
and I think there's probably
a lot of folks out there

459
00:22:33,210 --> 00:22:34,980
that would like to learn more,

460
00:22:34,980 --> 00:22:36,870
both about the data and the problem,

461
00:22:36,870 --> 00:22:38,430
but especially the solutions.

462
00:22:38,430 --> 00:22:41,670
If they wanted to learn more
about the work that you do

463
00:22:41,670 --> 00:22:43,410
or Ascend Learning Healthcare,

464
00:22:43,410 --> 00:22:45,150
how would they find you?

465
00:22:45,150 --> 00:22:46,440
- Well, they are more than happy

466
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,930
to just go on Ascend Learning Healthcare,

467
00:22:48,930 --> 00:22:51,000
and we always have a
way that you can chat in

468
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:52,500
and get information.

469
00:22:52,500 --> 00:22:55,860
They also can certainly
reach out to me directly

470
00:22:55,860 --> 00:22:58,860
at Patty, P-A-T-T-Y, dot,

471
00:22:58,860 --> 00:23:03,000
Knecht's my last name, K-N-E-C-H-T,

472
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,610
at atitesting.com.

473
00:23:05,610 --> 00:23:07,740
We would love to connect.

474
00:23:07,740 --> 00:23:11,040
We spend a fair amount of effort

475
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,530
making sure that we are connecting

476
00:23:13,530 --> 00:23:16,920
with our external
partners, our associations.

477
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:18,450
There are so many people

478
00:23:18,450 --> 00:23:21,930
for which are passionate
about this problem right now,

479
00:23:21,930 --> 00:23:26,340
and together, we are several
million strong as nurses,

480
00:23:26,340 --> 00:23:29,700
even larger as a larger healthcare entity,

481
00:23:29,700 --> 00:23:31,560
and our voices need to come together

482
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,110
to be heard, and really make an impact,

483
00:23:34,110 --> 00:23:37,350
and ensure that our legislators consider

484
00:23:37,350 --> 00:23:40,620
and move forward, quickly, funding

485
00:23:40,620 --> 00:23:42,270
to avert this shortage.

486
00:23:42,270 --> 00:23:44,760
- Our guest today has been Patty Knecht.

487
00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,550
She is vice president
and chief nursing officer

488
00:23:47,550 --> 00:23:49,620
for Ascend Learning Healthcare.

489
00:23:49,620 --> 00:23:51,900
Dr. Knecht, thank you for being with us.

490
00:23:51,900 --> 00:23:52,890
- Thank you so much,

491
00:23:52,890 --> 00:23:55,731
I appreciate your emphasis on this issue.

492
00:23:55,731 --> 00:23:58,398
(chiming music)

493
00:24:02,490 --> 00:24:03,360
- Thanks for joining me

494
00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:06,270
for this episode of the
"Career Education Report."

495
00:24:06,270 --> 00:24:07,500
Subscribe and rate us

496
00:24:07,500 --> 00:24:10,530
on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify,

497
00:24:10,530 --> 00:24:12,510
or wherever you listen to podcasts.

498
00:24:12,510 --> 00:24:15,930
For more information, visit
our website at career.org,

499
00:24:15,930 --> 00:24:19,050
and follow us on Twitter @CECUed,

500
00:24:19,050 --> 00:24:22,500
That's @-C-E-C-U-E-D.

501
00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:23,741
Thank you for listening.

502
00:24:23,741 --> 00:24:26,324
(lively music)

503
00:24:35,492 --> 00:24:39,159
(dramatic music)
- Voxtopica