The labor crunch continues, but Maine’s nursing shortage shrinks
Courtesy / Southern Maine Community College
Although Maine’s nursing shortage hasn’t been solved, a new report shows it’s been eased by training programs, such as the one shown in action here at Southern Maine Community College.
Although Maine’s shortage of nurses hasn’t gone away, a new report shows it’s getting smaller thanks to expanded training programs and student capacity.
The report, which looked at the past six years, shows Maine continues to make progress to improve the labor crunch.
The report was commissioned by the Maine’s Nursing Action Coalition and the Maine Hospital Association and conducted by Cypress Research Group, a market research firm in Ohio.
In 2021, Maine had a shortage of 2,250 registered nurses. The adjusted forecast for the year 2025 predicts a shortage of 1,450 registered nurses.
The improved projection was mostly driven by an annual increase in the number of early career and newly educated nurses. The report shows that between 2015 and 2021 there has been a dramatic increase in the number of working registered nurses who are younger than age 35, and 1,000 newly licensed younger nurses have been added to Maine’s workforce.
Nurses in Maine are also at full employment with only 1.9% of nurses unemployed. The report notes that the number of nurses between the ages of 45 to 64 decreased in size.
Significant easing
All of this is in contrast to a 2015 report by Maine’s Nursing Action Coalition, which said Maine would experience a shortfall of 3,200 registered nurses by 2025.
Since then, nursing leaders, nursing education programs and hospitals have worked together to support training and expand student capacity.
In October 2018, the coalition announced that Maine’s nursing education programs had begun to increase the number of nursing graduates, reducing the projected shortage to 2,700 registered nurses.
While Maine is still projected to have a shortage by 2025, the decrease from 3,200 to 1,450 represents a tremendous partnership within the state's nursing community, said Lisa Harvey-McPherson, a registered nurse and a member of Maine’s Nursing Action Coalition, and Steven Michaud, president of the Maine Hospital Association.
For the full report, click here.
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