Nurses from across Kansas gather in Topeka to talk shortages
TOPEKA (KSNT) -- The Dean of KU's School of Nursing declared the state of Kansas' nursing shortage a "crisis." KU's School of Nursing arranged a meeting at the Celtic Fox, where members from institutions from all over the state gathered to discuss the nursing shortage Tuesday night.
Representative from Wichita State University and Pittsburg State University all the way to Washburn University and the University of Kansas Medical Center were present. KU's dean said if the educated gather Tuesday cannot find a solution soon, the state of healthcare and healthcare providers across Kansas could be in jeopardy.
"To talk about what is needed, how can we work together," Dr. Sally Maliski, Dean of KU School of Nursing, said of the goal of the meeting. "Because this crisis is not - we can't educate ourselves out of this crisis. And it's not going to get better unless we all work together from all sectors."
Maliski said the nursing shortage is a bigger problem than any individual entity can solve, and that there's value in gathering everyone in-person. She said having an in-person conversation is much more productive, as it allows all ideas to be effectively shared and voices to be heard.
After Tuesday's conversations, the organizations came up with the idea of creating a Kansas Center for Nursing in the future. The idea is just that right now, an idea, but the groups made progress in finding solutions to the state's nursing shortage. Ultimately, they want to ensure all Kansans are receiving the healthcare they deserve.