America’s nursing shortage has existed for years, but the strain that covid-19 placed on our country’s healthcare system exacerbated the lack of professionals available to treat patients – including many seniors. But as 60 Plus President Saul Anuzis argues in a new op-ed in the Detroit News, the shortage doesn’t have to be this acute.
Travel nurses and foreign-educated nurses have increasingly become one commonsense solution to the ongoing shortage. As Anuzis notes in his piece, the number of travel nurses increased from about 8,000 positions in early 2020 to about 32,000 early this year, and demand for international nurses has risen between 300 percent and 400 percent.
Michigan has wisely recognized the value that these nurses provide to patients. Anuzis writes that the Michigan Board of Nursing “reformed its rules to remove licensing red tape for foreign-educated nurses who already have comparable licenses in good standing.”
The U.S. is in desperate need of more nurses, and adopting policies like the Michigan approach will put more nurses to work and secure better care for American patients. Read Saul Anuzis’ full op-ed in the Detroit News here.