KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In May, the second largest increase in United States job openings was in the health care and social assistance fields. More than 78,000 jobs in those categories were posted.
In Knoxville, that industry was at the top for job postings.
“Registered nurses are the top in-demand occupation, and it typically is month after month,” said Lauren Longmire, with the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce. “The elevated need certainly started during COVID. We saw a lot of burnouts during COVID, and we are still seeing some of those issues.”
It’s a trend that Longmire said the city and area have seen for the past few years In May, more than 1,500 health care and social assistance job openings were posted, according to the Chamber of Commerce. It said 599 of the postings were for registered nurses.
Victoria Niederhauser, a dean at the University of Tennessee’s College of Nursing, said the state is projected to have a shortfall in the near-future if it doesn't work to train and hire more nurses.
“In our state alone, when we look at projections for the workforce, by 2035 we are projected to have a 10% shortfall in the number of nurses that are needed to fill the positions that we have available,” she said. “Years ago, most nurses went to school, then went into the hospital and worked. But now, we know nurses do great work out in communities. So, there are more public health nurses, more community health nurses, and in-home healthcare."
Longmire and Niederhauser both said leaders should work to incentivize nursing students studying in East Tennessee to stay in the region as they start their careers. UT's College of Nursing said it has already partnered with the UT Medical Center to create a scholar's program.
Through the program, students can graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing after 15 months of studying. As part of the program, students can learn and train at UT Medical Center which provides a scholarship covering the cost of tuition. However, students need to commit to working at the hospital for at least 3 years after graduation.