Published April 2005

April conference to show
nurses ‘they are valued’

By Kristen Gillisse Howe
Guest Columnist

While unemployment rates remain high, shortages in the number of skilled workers are still felt in certain industries throughout Snohomish County and nationwide.

Perhaps some of the most well-known shortages have been in the health services industry, with hospitals and other facilities often lamenting vacancy rates in the double digits for positions such as skilled nurses, physical therapists and advanced imaging technologists. The Snohomish County Workforce Development Council and local health services organizations have made addressing these shortages one of their top priorities.

Typical strategies to address shortages often have included local colleges implementing new programs or increasing capacity in existing programs. Karen Heys, nursing department chair at Everett Community College, reports that there are about 190 students currently enrolled in the college’s associate degree in nursing program — that’s up 60 students from last year, a result of their successful nursing program expansion plan.

Although adding training capacity locally has been very successful in meeting entry-level needs for health services businesses, the demand for experienced and specialized health services professionals in fields such as nursing continues to grow steadily.

Members of the Snohomish County Health Services Careers Partnership, an organization that addresses the health-care work force shortages in Snohomish County, have banded together to focus on retention efforts of existing nurses in the community as a means to combat worker shortages. Health services businesses say that a critical shortage of experienced and advanced practice nurses still exists in the community, especially in areas such as emergency, telemetry and critical care.

“The Nurses Count: Maintaining Your Value” conference will be held April 26 at the Everett Events Center. A full-day conference, it is designed for active nurses in Washington state who seek tools to manage the everyday challenges of being a nurse. The conference will allow nurses to refresh and renew their commitment to nursing by learning techniques in a variety of topics surrounding communication, self-care and personal/professional growth.

Nancy Hamilton, employment manager at Stevens Hospital and chair of the Snohomish County Health Services Careers Partnership, said the conference is “exactly what has been needed in this community. We want to show our nurses that they are valued, and that each one of them really does count. We are excited to see that nurses throughout the county and state will have the opportunity to feel appreciated and gain valuable skills to stay energized about their profession.”

The conference will explore a variety of themes including “Finding the Right Nursing Career to Match your Personality Type,” “Exploring Self Care,” “Assertive Communication Techniques,” “Dealing with Stress,” “Violence in the Workplace,” “Communication with Management,” “Nurse Mentoring” and “Professional Development.”

For more conference information, including sponsorship, exhibitor and attendee registration resources, visit online at www.worksourceonline.com/nursingconference.

Kristen Gillisse Howe is coordinator of the Health Services Careers Partnership for the Snohomish County Workforce Development Council. For more information, call 425-921-3423.

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