Survey: Looming statewide nursing shortage as baby boomers ready to retire

JOLIET — A new survey suggests Illinois may soon face a shortage of registered nurses as more baby boomers prepare to retire.

Nearly 53,000 registered nurses, or about 31 percent of the state's RN population, were surveyed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

According to the survey, about one-third of RNs ages 55 to 65 or older intend to retire within the next five years, leaving potential voids in specialties such as psychiatric, school, home health and community care, according to the state agency.

Ensuring there are enough nurses to meet the state's health care needs is a priority for both Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center and local universities, such as University of St. Francis and Lewis University, said Jackie Medland, RN, regional chief nursing officer with Presence Saint Joseph.

But such a shortage will likely have a greater effect on areas of the state with smaller populations and fewer educational offerings, she added.

“It's not a universal truth that all hospitals will struggle,” Medland said.

In the future, there will be fewer RNs ages 25 to 35 in the doctoral education pipeline to replace retirees as specialties see an increase in retirements, according to the state agency.

Medland said the Joliet hospital is keenly aware of specialty departments at the hospital — surgical and behavioral health, for example — where there's a significant percentage of nurses nearing retirement age.

“Whether you have that strong partnership with universities, and whether you have an attractive site makes a boatload of difference,” Medland said.

Jane Trainor, assistant professor and coordinator of one of Lewis University's accelerated nursing degree programs, said Lewis offers a wide range of options for nursing degrees, with rolling enrollment.

Trainor said the university offers an accelerated Bachelor's-to-BSN program designed for people with a bachelor's degree considering a career change. Students can obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing in as little as 18 months, Trainor said.

"It's intense, time-wise, but those programs [across the U.S.] have helped alleviate shortages," Trainor said.

Medland noted that despite the looming shortage, there's more registered nurses in today's workforce than in past years. According to IDFPD data, the number of licensed RNs statewide increased from 142,644 in 2001 to 177,614 in 2015.