University Communications

AS THE NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE OF NURSES REACHES CRISIS PROPORTIONS, UCLA PREPARES TO INTENSIFY ITS EFFORTS TO ATTRACT MORE YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE PROFESSION

By Dan Gordon ‘850
Illustration by Hadley Hooper

IT MAY BE THE DOCTORS who receive the prestige and tribute in the medical field, but as anyone who has been hospitalized — or anyone who has spent time at the bedside of a sick loved one or friend — knows, it is nurses who are the critical links in the day-to-day care of patients.

Those who run hospitals such as UCLA’s are well aware of the value of the unsung angels of mercy on their staffs. “Nurses are absolutely pivotal to health care in the hospital setting,” says Michael Karpf, vice provost of UCLA Hospital Systems. “They’re the ones who are with the patient minute to minute, day to day, administering medicines and monitoring patient-care protocols. Much of our reputation at UCLA is built on the backs of these hard-working professionals.”

But there aren’t nearly enough of them.

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