Senate Resolution 111 PAG LIN 1 1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY BOETTGER 1 3 A Resolution recognizing nursing students and faculty. 1 4 WHEREAS, all Iowans benefit from the service 1 5 provided by registered nurses; and 1 6 WHEREAS, 38,091 registered nurses were actively 1 7 licensed in Iowa on July 1, 2003, but 37 percent of 1 8 hospitals and long=term care facilities reported an 1 9 average of 60 days or longer to fill vacancies; and 1 10 WHEREAS, the average age of most registered and 1 11 licensed practical nurses is 46; and 1 12 WHEREAS, the nursing shortage is projected to 1 13 intensify over the next two decades; and 1 14 WHEREAS, as of December 2003, 36 full=time and 41 1 15 part=time nursing faculty vacancies existed at Iowa 1 16 nursing colleges; and 1 17 WHEREAS, the graduation rate of masters and 1 18 doctorally prepared registered nurses will not be 1 19 sufficient to address a projected retirement of 49 1 20 percent of nursing faculty in Iowa by 2010; and 1 21 WHEREAS, high nurse turnover and vacancy rates, as 1 22 well as the shortage of nursing faculty, negatively 1 23 impact patient well=being; NOW THEREFORE, 1 24 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Iowa Senate 1 25 designates February 12, 2004, as Iowa Nursing Student 1 26 and Faculty Day and invites the citizens of Iowa to 1 27 recognize the need for both men and women to choose 1 28 nursing as a career and to encourage the education of 1 29 registered nurses at all educational levels. 1 30 LSB 6331SS 80 2 1 rj/sh/8