A Solution To Attract And Retain Nurse Graduates

By Guest Commentary, CalMatters

December 2, 2021

By Jennifer Kim, Chula Vista

Jennifer Kim is a nursing student at California State University San Marcos.

Re “Nurse shortages in California reaching crisis point”; Coronavirus, Aug. 26, 2021

I found Kristen Hwang’s article regarding the nursing shortage in California to be informative and eye-opening.

As a nursing student scheduled to graduate in May 2022, I hope we can find solutions to achieve adequate staffing without having to pay exorbitant wages for traveling nurses. Indeed, during my clinical rotation, several staff nurses voiced concerns regarding discrepancy between staff pay and traveler pay.

One solution to the problem of attracting and retaining nurse graduates to a specific hospital would be to offer a financial incentive regarding student loans. (Student debt is a major issue of its own). For example, perhaps the employer could pay 25% of the loan debt after one full year of employment, pay another 25% of the debt after three full years of employment, then pay the remaining 50% of the debt after the completion of five full years of employment. It’s a win-win!

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