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BALTIMORE COUNTY - County officials are working to address the critical shortage of nurses in Baltimore County through a new program.
Nursing shortages have been a common issue for municipalities across the country since the pandemic. A February report from the Maryland Hospital Association said there were over 4,900 vacant nursing positions in the state. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 500,000 more nurses are expected to have left the workforce by the end of 2022.
Baltimore County, the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, and the Community College of Baltimore County have announced a joint Innovative Workforce Development Partnership to train new nurses.
This partnership aims to connect residents in historically underserved communities with pathways toward becoming trained nurse practitioners. The program will include customized educational programming and community wraparound support for interested residents.
Scholarship funds will fully cover tuition and related costs of the Certified Nursing Assistant workforce retraining program.
According to Salary.com, the average nurse practitioner in Maryland earns between $62,076 and $79,108 per year.
After successfully completing the program, UM SJMC will hire the participants as CNAs and cover the cost for them to continue in the Practical Nursing program to create a career ladder.
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