It is not news that America has entered a nursing shortage. Last year over 118,000 nursing jobs were left unfilled. Employers want to hire, but the pool of qualified nurses just isn't big enough to fill all those jobs. What might be surprising is that nursing schools, the very programs delivering these qualified nurses to Iowa's hospitals, turned away more than 40,000 applicants last year alone. Why? Because they're full. The nursing shortage isn't the problem, it's the symptom.
 
The Iowa Department of Public Health noted that we have a nursing shortage of over eight percent. That number is expected to jump to 27 percent in just over a decade. Are we supposed to accept 27 percent less of a nurse? I don't think so.
 
America's nursing schools are working as hard as they can to certify registered nurses, nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses. So hard, in fact, they don't have any more room. They can't cram anymore nursing students into their programs even though they want to. There is no more space. There are no more qualified teachers. In our nation's nursing crisis, this is the root of the problem. This is what needs to be addressed.
 
So, 40,000 qualified job seekers get turned away while those 118,000 open jobs go unfilled. Patients who need help can't get it. Our current nurses are overworked, under-paid, and, at an average age of over 45 years old, are planning on retiring when the millions of retired baby-boomers begin to use health services at a higher rate.
 
In light of all the health care talk coming out of Washington these days (socialized medicine, malpractice lawsuits, health insurance), it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the greatest support structure of America's health care system is damaged and about to head into a tailspin if we don't act now.
 
That is why I am setting up nursing roundtables throughout the state. I'll be meeting with nursing professionals, visiting nursing schools and hospitals, the VA medical center and working on an information talk show about this serious crisis. I will take this information back to Washington and make sure that Iowa's nurses, and Iowa patients, are represented in congress.