2008 Woodie Awards
Nursing shortage changing education
Sarah Ayres Features Editor
Issue date: 9/29/05 Section: News
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That seems to be the case at Amarillo College, with not enough nursing students or enough instructors to teach them.
Megan Nord, a nursing major, thinks having a limited number of nursing students could be a plus.
"It's somewhat of a bonus, because once you get out of school you know there's a good chance you will get a job here in Amarillo," Nord said.
"I plan on getting a job at Northwest or BSA, and even though the pay may be different elsewhere, it will be nice to have a local job here in Amarillo."
Pay and location are a couple of reasons people might want to locate somewhere else to go to school or even move to get a job elsewhere after school.
As for finding nursing instructors, they have to have certain qualifications, and they are scarce in this area.
For some nurses, pay isn't their reason for staying in Amarillo.
"We have a wonderful medical community in Amarillo," said Linda Hunt, an RN at BSA.
She said both hospitals are easy to work for and that the doctors communicate well with the nurses.
"Salaries are more in other towns, so people go somewhere else to make more money and there is a high turnover rate here," Hunt said.
Hunt has worked at BSA for 18 years and has been a nurse there for 13 years.
She has a son in school, and her family is here.
"We have a wonderful community, and there should be no shortages in nurses because we have two nursing schools," Hunt said. West Texas A&M University also teaches nursing.