REGIONAL – The nursing staffing shortage that reached crisis levels during the COVID-19 pandemic has eased statewide, according to a Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) report, but challenges in health care staffing remain, particularly for rural areas of the state.
The MHA analysis, released Tuesday, paints a mixed picture of the status of nursing in the state’s health care system.
The number of nurse job vacancies in 2023 declined for the first time since the onset of the COVID pandemic, with the number of working nurses increasing for a fifth consecutive year. Over that same five years, the number of registered nurses increased by 17.6 percent, driven in part by licensed practical nurses and certified nurse assistants getting the additional education necessary to upgrade their licenses. On average, 3.8 percent of LPNs and 4.6 percent of CNAs became RNs in each of the past three years.
But while there may be more registered nurses in the workforce, over 60 percent of them are working less than 32 hours a week, an all-time low. And in rural Minnesota, the departure rate of nurses from health care facilites increased by 22 percent. Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital currently has openings for two registered nurses and one LPN, and the Cook Hospital is seeking one registered nurse for the hospital and another for the care center, as well as two nursing assistants for the care center.
Pay rates could affect recruitment of nurses in rural areas. According to the report, Minnesota nurses have the highest rate of pay in the nation, as adjusted for the cost of living, averaging $95,000 in 2023. That can work to increase retention but can also act as a draw to pull nurses from rural positions to more lucrative urban jobs. Minneapolis and St. Paul rank in the top 10 U.S. cities for nurse pay.
The report also highlights concern about the impact retirements will have on the number of physicians in the state. Over 14 percent of general practitioners and 20 percent of specialty physicians are expected to retire in the next five years. The impact will have a disproportionate effect in rural areas, as overall physician employment in Greater Minnesota has declined in recent years.
A 2023 report from the Minnesota Department of Health sheds more light on the looming rural physician shortage. The median age of physicians practicing in rural areas of the state is 59 years old, compared to 47 in urban areas. According to MDH, one in three rural physicians plan to retire by 2028.
The MHA report indicates that the development of new medical school campuses in Duluth and St. Cloud and a new nursing program at the University of St. Thomas could help to shore up the Greater Minnesota health care workforce, as could increased internship possibilities. Another key component to building the workforce is increasing health professional loan forgiveness, the report suggests.