The nursing shortage phenomenon drives various aspects of the nursing industry, including the fervor over nursing schools. The mantra seems to be: get them in and get them out with good nursing skills. Problem is that the various pathways to a nursing job in Vermont are occluded with their own obstacles. For example, in some schools of nursing eager prospective nursing students are put on a lengthy waitlist, slowing the time to work exponentially. In other situations the problem may manifest itself in a shortage of nurse faculty.
In Vermont students have a number of different kinds of nursing schools from which to choose: Practical Nursing, Associates, Bachelors and Masters degrees are all represented. The majority if new nurses prefer the Associates degree track despite the fact that it is consistently in most regions of the country the slowest pathway to a nursing license.
Of course thousands of nurses work in Burlington, one of Vermont’s larger metropolitan areas. Smaller cities like Bennington and Montpelier are popular, as well. But much of VT remains rural which small communities starved for adequate healthcare, including nursing care.
If you’re interested in rural community health nursing or pursuing an Advanced Practice Nursing degree in Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwife, Nurse Anesthetist, or Clinical Nurse Specialist, explore the curriculum offered at your choices of nursing school. You may find coursework that specifically targets the practice needs of rural nurses.
The state Loan Repayment Program is administered by Vermont Student Assistance Corporation and includes financial incentives for nurse practitioners. According to the Vermont Department of Health, this program has been instrumental in luring nurses to rural communities within the state. Note: funding for this program may vary with availability of state funds.
The Vermont State Board of Nursing governs the practice of nursing in the state. As a student nurse you will become acquainted with this agency for the following: