In January of 2011, the inaugural Wisconsin Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Survey was completed by 14,165 LPNs as they renewed their practical nurse licenses. The Wisconsin Center for Nursing (WCN), under a mandate from the Wisconsin State Legislature, has analyzed this data in detail, resulting in this report, 2012 Wisconsin Licensed Practical Nurse Survey.
The WCN Wisconsin 2012 Licensed Practical Nurse Survey Report Analysis and its accompanying documents were accomplished with significant support of key individuals and partners. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) are an important segment of our nursing workforce.
We greatly appreciate the dedicated volunteer researchers and the contributions of their respective institutions: Lea Acord, PhD, RN, Marquette University College of Nursing and Cynthia Larsen MSN, RN, Southwest Technical College and PhD nursing candidate at Marquette, along with biostatistician Jessica Pruszynski, PhD from the Medical College of Wisconsin. This analysis is sponsored by the Wisconsin Center for Nursing in partnership with the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
This is the first Wisconsin LPN survey report analysis sponsored in the history of WCN. Additionally, many partner organizations provided services to design, develop and deliver the survey. In particular, the work being done by the Wisconsin Healthcare Workforce Collaborative was critical to the creation of the survey design. Funding for the project was provided in part by the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, a component of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin endowment at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
We are grateful to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services for making the survey accessible to the thousands of LPNs in our state, and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, without whose assistance, our work would not be possible. We want to thank the Wisconsin LPNs for completing the survey, and the care they provide to patients and their families.
This important survey provides critical information on the status of the LPN workforce in Wisconsin and recommends strategies to address future nursing shortages.
WCN also extends sincere appreciation to the Faye McBeath Foundation, a long-standing partner that has provided support since the inception of our organization.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge and express our gratitude to the many schools and organizations that will utilize this information to advance nursing education and practice to assure a sufficient, competent and diverse nursing workforce for the people of Wisconsin.