PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia needs more nurses, and so does the rest of the country. Pandemic burnout combined with a pre-existing nursing shortage is fueling a recruiting race.
“There’s, you know, a tug of war for these nursing graduates,” said Julian Walker, vice president of communications for the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.
A state by state breakdown from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Virginia with the ninth lowest nurse-to-population ratio with eight nurses for every 1,000 people.
That is where the On Board Virginia digital campaign comes into play. VHHA is targeting digital ads focused directly on recently graduated nursing students in Virginia and several surrounding states.
“It would be malpractice not to be doing this kind of outreach,” Walker said.
The website was created two years ago to recruit and retain nurses, and touts the benefits of working and playing in the Commonwealth. The pros stemming from the beaches to the mountains to the scholarships and loan repayment programs.
The interactive map allows individuals to match their skills and interests with current openings in different parts of the state.
Currently, more than 2,300 hospital jobs are available in Hampton Roads. You can then zoom in to pinpoint those jobs in each city.
“Already in just the space of about a month, we’ve already driven targeted ads to more than 60,000 new nursing school graduates,” Walker said.
VHHA is hoping the campaign will give Virginia hospitals an edge in hiring.
“This is this is an arms race in some respects,” Walker said. “You know, multiple states are dealing with health care, workforce shortages. It’s not just Virginia And so, again, this is why we’re being proactive in doing this.”
The race to hire is also a race against the clock. As baby boomers age, they will need more healthcare, and as more boomer nurses retire we will need even more to replace them.
In addition to the On Board Campaign, VHHA is working with state lawmakers on policy and funding as well as executing in person recruiting on campuses and in the community.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.