CLEVELAND — It's no secret—nurses are working harder than ever before with less staff and more stress due to the pandemic.
In our commitment to follow through on the stories that matter to our community, we look at the latest developments on the nursing shortage—which has surged to a record high here in Northeast Ohio and across the United States.
A brand new study found three in 10 nurses will likely quit the field.
And by 2027, roughly 600,000 will walk off the job altogether.
This week marks National Nurses Week.
It's a time to honor and thank nurses for their heroic efforts and constant hard work.
The Cleveland Clinic is working to bridge the gap and encourage a younger, more diverse population to pursue the field.
It's about closing the gap and restoring trust in the system.
The Cleveland Clinic started this program back in 2017.
Officials behind it say it's about helping serve the underserved.
Their overall goal is to encourage more students to find their passion in medicine and pursue it for years to come.
"I honestly didn't really know I wanted to get into nursing," Ayanna Lewis, Cleveland Clinic Registered Nurse/ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program graduate.
It's been a whirlwind, hands-on education experience at the Cleveland Clinic that has since catapulted 23-year-old Ayanna Lewis from the classroom to the floors of the ICU.
It's where she cares for parents as a full-time registered nurse.
"I impact people's lives in such a huge way, like an average day at work for me is life-altering for the patient in front of me," Lewis said.
The Cuyahoga Community College graduate and Ohio University student was actually encouraged to sign up for the ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program when she was entering her junior year at Cleveland Central Catholic High School.
The program was created in collaboration between the Cleveland Clinic and the Howley Foundation to diversify healthcare, bridge opportunity gaps and reduce health disparities which have become all too common in the field.
"Representation really matters and representation not only matters to patients but the young people we are working with," Sol Sanchez, Cleveland Clinic Nursing Professional Development Specialist said.
Students are hand selected, complete a clinical nursing experience, and then have the option to earn a scholarship in Nursing from Ursuline College, if they choose to do so.
Sanchez says this pipeline program has helped changed the game, especially with a surge in retirements and an increase in burnout rates.
Last year, their first five students graduated from the program and are working as full-time Cleveland Clinic employees.
"We need to develop our own talent so that we can fill these positions and keep them filled," Sanchez said.
Lewis took us back to where it all began inside the Nursing Education Health Space Building.
At age 17, she was one of 25 students who worked on a real-life mannequin—checking vital signs, learning how to administer an IV, and charting and inputting patient data.
"I would come assess my patient of course. I'm talking to her. But all of a sudden I look in the monitor, she'll have something called flatline," Lewis said.
It's those skills that readied her for the real experience.
The ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program runs for 12 weeks each year.
Sanchez says it's a necessary step toward re-establishing medical trust and understanding especially following the pandemic.
"We want them to feel like they're making their way to the best profession in the world," Sanchez said.
Lewis says she's happy to be a small piece of the puzzle and help pave the way for more nurses to enroll in the future.
"It was the best decision 16, 17-year-old me made. Best decision of your life."
For more information on the ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program, click here.
