Can California Figure Out a Way to Train Nurses?
The State Ranks 46th in the Nation in RNs Per Capita. I Teach Nursing in Fresno, and I Know Why It’s an Uphill Battle.
I’m a Valley girl—I’ve lived in the San Joaquin Valley almost my entire life—and I’ve been a nursing instructor. That combination, according to state jobs statistics, is rare.
There is a serious shortage of nursing instructors in Fresno. It’s one of the greatest shortages of skilled workers in California, which ranks 46th in the nation when it comes to nurses per capita, according to the federal Bureau of Health Professions. The Valley has one of the lowest nurse-to-patient ratios in the United States.
In 2006, I made the switch from chief …
