Billings Clinic works to solve Montana's nursing shortage

Thirty-two nurses presented their research and graduated from Billings Clinic's year-long residency program on Friday, further closing the gap between medical needs and care in Montana.

“This year between May and August, we’ve actually hired 99 new grads that will be entering into practice here at Billings Clinic," said Shannon Holland, the chief nursing officer for the hospital.

Just two years ago, Billings Clinic had 120 registered nurse openings, a 30% vacancy rate. It's currently down to just 3%.

“It amazes me, every single cohort, their ideas, their thoughts, and how they’re gonna bring change into a workforce that – sometimes, we’re like, ‘we’ve done it this way forever,'" said Sherri Zimmerman, the nurse manager for Billings Clinic.

Those managing the mentor and support residency said the COVID-19 pandemic partnered with a generation of nurses already ready to retire is chiefly responsible for the prior demand and vacancies.

"The amount of patients that were so acutely ill and the amount of patients that actually died at that period of time were extremely stressful to our workforce," said Holland.

Whether nurses at Friday's ceremonies were new or experienced, each spoke to their passion for patient care.

"Someone’s gotta do it, right," said Katie Miller, a graduate nurse from Billings Clinic's residency program who focused her research on keeping patients at home following open heart surgery.