The Alabama Board of Nursing has been proactive in addressing the nursing shortage in the state. By the late 90’s the nursing shortage was on the agenda of the state government. In 2003, the Alabama Center for Nursing was established. The Alabama Center for Nursing is mostly a body that is involved in collection, analysis, and dissemination of nursing information in the state of Alabama. Alabama takes nursing seriously and has moved in the direction of making it a more straightforward path to becoming a nurse.
There are over 30 state-wide initiatives for nurse workforce planning and development. Overall, Alabama is a great state for nursing practitioners. There has been much done to expand and advance training of quality health care professionals across the state.
A major issue in the nursing shortage of Alabama and many other states is that not only are the baby boomers coming to retirement age and demanding more health care facilities (and nurses) but also that many of the nurses are retiring. In Alabama there is a significant percentage of the nurse population that is nearing retirement age. As most of them start to retire there will be an added strain to the health care system.
There is a major shortage in Alabama for specialized nurses as well as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN). The wage difference between some of the neighboring states and Alabama show that the shortage is more acute here than other places. There is a high demand for competent and well trained nurses and health care professionals of all specializations. Alabama is great place to get started in nursing.
