(Aug. 4, 2021) – Big urban hospitals’ demand for nurses seems obvious. But what’s less obvious is the need for nurses in North Carolina’s rural communities.

“You find that our graduates are more likely to be in those places that are sometimes hardest to fill, in terms of those nursing positions,” Dr. Scott Ralls, President of Wake Technical Community College and former president of the NC Community College System, says in the accompanying video.

“Rural hospitals, where you may not have as many (university) nursing programs, but you also may have a community college program nearby, they’re going to be much more likely to be community college-trained nurses. Places that are not just the hospital settings – assisted living….”

“We have found over the years that they are more likely to be community-college nurses in those harder-to-fill settings. We do fill a really important role by spreading the nurses throughout the state –  not just concentrated where the universities may be concentrated – and into those facilities where nurses are needed, not just the big hospitals.”

DR. ERIN FRAHER researches the health workforce – including workers in rural communities – at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC Chapel Hill. Rural mental-health care and corrections face chronic shortages of nurses, Fraher says.

But the data also reveal some surprises. Sheps researchers expected to see a shortage of nurses in Southeastern North Carolina, she says.

“It turns out that those programs in the Southeastern part of the state, particularly for licensed practical nurses – they have retention rates in rural communities of like 80%, which is unheard of,” Fraher says. ”It’s just enormous.”

“This pocket of programs in Southeastern North Carolina, from Southeastern Community College, Robeson Community College – over 80% of their licensed practical nurse grads are going into rural communities,” Fraher says.

In general, she says, nurses with bachelor’s degrees don’t go into rural care at the same rates as LPNs or nurses with associate degrees.

“But surprisingly, UNC Pembroke is putting nearly 50% of their BSN grads into rural communities. Fifty percent – so one out of every two, almost, grads from UNC-Pembroke’s BSN program is going into a rural community. The closest competition was 26%, which was Fayetteville State, which was doing also a nice job.”

But Fraher singles out Pembroke.

“UNC-Pembroke is, as usual, serving its local community, which is incredibly important,” she says.

“Because if you look at the data, that area – Robeson County – is always ranked 100 out of 100 counties in terms of health outcomes. It’s an important piece in terms of addressing health outcomes, particularly in that area, where we have higher chronic disease, higher diabetes, and that nursing workforce is critically needed.”