NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Years after the COVID pandemic reshaped healthcare, hospital leaders say the nursing profession is still in recovery.

On Thursday, 43 new nurses graduated from UPMC Jameson School of Nursing, with most of them staying to work locally.

While UPMC leaders said enrollment has seen some growth, it's not the end of the staffing challenge.

"There's an ever-growing need for more nurses to enter the profession," UPMC Chief Nurse Executive Maribeth McLaughlin said, "And we're doing all we can to build those pipelines." 

Data from NurseJournal.org shows Ohio and PA have about 11 nurses for every 1,000 people, a number that still points to ongoing demand.

UPMC said it is investing in recruitment, spending more than $23-million last year and again this year to increase nursing wages, along with implementing tuition forgiveness for many students, offering more PTO and allowing more schedule flexibility. 

"It is a very welcoming career," Graduate Marley Wolf said, "It is very warm, it's very rewarding. It is a career and a profession, but it's also a calling." 

For graduates entering the field, they said the moment feels both exciting and challenging.

"I think it's given us a really wonderful opportunity to step in and fill in those gaps and really have an amazing assortment of opportunities available which may not have otherwise been there," Graduate Shannon Gearyrabold said, "As a mom of a couple kids that have some special needs, it definitely has pushed me to want to provide wonderful care for all patients who really need good nurses in their corner."

Hospital leaders also said they are recruiting earlier, by reaching students in middle school and high school, and said building the nursing pipeline is critical not just for hospitals but for patient care across both urban and rural communities.