Mississippi hospitals are in critical need of 3,000 registered nurses and have stepped up efforts to recruit and retain them, even tapping the state’s nursing school students for reinforcements, but an upcoming graduating class of 727 nursing students will likely not be enough to close the gap.
Many nurses and nursing students are drawn away from Mississippi by the promise of increased benefits and earning potential.
Senior nursing student Olivia Howie at the University of Mississippi Medical Center plans on staying in the Jackson area for a year or two in order to gain experience before applying for a travel nursing position.
“I don’t plan on staying in Mississippi long-term,” Howie said. “Of course, who knows what the future will bring, but I’m looking for more opportunities to grow in my career that I feel Mississippi can’t offer.”
Howie credits lower salaries and fewer opportunities for advancement as two of the reasons she does not intend to remain in her home state.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average median salary for a registered nurse in the United States, as of 2020, was $75,330 with an average hourly wage of $36.22.
However, the average salary of a registered nurse in Mississippi falls behind the national average and totals $61,250 with an hourly wage of $29.45.
Of the 50 states, this makes Mississippi the second-lowest paying state for nurses in the country, with only South Dakota falling closely behind them.
When looking for jobs, nurses are more likely to be drawn to states like California, which offers an average salary of $120,560, or Massachusetts, which offers an average salary of $96,250.
Mississippi is also losing registered nurses to travel nursing agencies like Aya Healthcare or Cross Country Nurses, which offer wages and sign-on bonuses that many Mississippi hospitals cannot afford to offer.
At the time of writing, Aya Healthcare’s website has a job listing for a registered nurse needed in Anchorage, Alaska, that pays up to $6,499 a week, and Cross Country Nurses lists a position in Minneapolis that pays $7,050 a week.
Aya Healthcare and Cross Country Nurses are two of the travel nursing agencies on senior UMMC nursing student Julia Fant’s radar for employment after she graduates and receives her certification.
“I just feel like there are more opportunities for work in other states, and I have always wanted to travel,” Fant said.
Some Mississippi hospitals have put out incentives in an attempt to attract nurses who are searching for work.
Singing River Hospital has branches in southern Mississippi, and its website offers sign-on bonuses up to $15,000 for registered nurses.
Bill Henning, the CEO of Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi, said that Baptist is dealing with staffing shortages by increasing the quality of the work environment. One way they’re doing this is by offering mental health resources to nurses who experience increased pressure and exhaustion due to the pandemic.
“We are also intensifying our recruitment efforts, offering numerous incentive programs and continuing to make Baptist a great place for any healthcare professional to work,” Henning said.
UMMC has partnered with a private company called Healthier Mississippi People to help recruit and incentivize newly graduated nurses by offering a starting hourly wage of $25.50 and a $5,000 sign-on bonus for those who are willing to make a two-year employment commitment.
However, for upcoming nurses like Howie, these incentives are not enough to keep them in the state long-term. She believes the state needs nursing unions to advocate for safer nurse-to-patient ratios, higher pay and better working conditions.
“For me, moving out of my home state of Mississippi has always been the goal even before I decided to go to nursing school,” Howie said.
Fant echoed Howie’s concerns.
“Pay is a major factor,” she said. “But also, it is illegal to form a nurse’s union in Mississippi, and I feel like nurses desperately need one.”
