Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - September 18, 2007)

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By Mr. DURBIN:

S. 2064. A bill to fund comprehensive programs to ensure an adequate supply of nurses; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Americans depend on nurses to deliver quality patient care, yet our Nation faces a critical shortage of nurses. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than 1.2 million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2014 to keep up with the aging Baby Boomer population and the increased demand for health care.

To avoid this dramatic shortage, we need to reach a significant and sustained increase in the number of nurses entering the workforce each year. We can do this by building on the current health care workforce. Nurses who advance from other health care positions are better prepared to meet the demands of the bedside because they are more aware of the work environment and ready to meet its unique challenges. They also require less time in orientation than new workers and represent a diverse population more representative of the patients being served.

Today, I am pleased to introduce legislation that will foster career ladders for current health care workers who are ready to upgrade their skills. Our health care system is an untapped resource in the effort to increase the supply of nurses. Many people in the health care workforce are in entry level jobs that don't always offer opportunities for advancement. For much of this population, advanced education is unaffordable and unattainable.

The Nurse Training and Retention Act offers incumbent health care workers realistic options to enhance their skills, advance their careers, and meet the growing demand for nurses. The legislation authorizes the Department of Labor to award grants to support training programs for health care workers. Health aides can use these programs to earn a certificate or degree in nursing. Nurses can upgrade their skills and qualifications so that they can serve as nurse faculty, which would help relieve the backlog of qualified applicants who aren't in nursing school because of the lack of faculty.

Programs administered by joint labor/management training partnerships have made great progress in the effort to educate and retain nurses. The proposed grant program builds on the good work these partnerships have done, and encourages further collaboration with colleges and universities. The combination of support at the workplace and collaboration with nursing schools to meet the needs of the non traditional student has led to strong performance by these students in nursing school. These new nurses have higher retention rates than other, more traditional students who do not have work experience in the field. Another benefit of the career ladder is that these collaborations are building a more diverse nursing workforce.

Another important player in this process is the employer. That is why my bill asks employers of incumbent health care workers to invest in the training programs. This completes the partnership, so that labor, employer, and the participating school are all working together to retain and grow the health care workforce we have today.

Nurses play an invaluable role in patient care in this country. Unless we do something today to improve the way we train and retain nurses, we face a severe shortage within the next decade. The Nurse Training and Retention Act can help us tap an overlooked resource by ensuring those who are in the health care industry have a chance to move up in their field, while expanding the supply of nurses and nurse faculty. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

S. 2064

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