Nursing’s low-status reputation and shortage of nurses has not diminished the profession’s opportunities and benefits.

“The state of Wisconsin is short 1,100 full-time nurses,” said Ken Fonteccho, Novus Health Group recruitment director.

According to the American Medical Association, by 1990 there will be a shortage of 440,000 nurses in the United States.

“There are spot shortages, sometimes due to bad locations,” Fonteccho said. However, in good locations with good pay and good medicine, stortage problems do not exist, he said.

Fonteccho said shortages are caused because “the reputation of the nursing profession has been put down by it’s low pay, lousy hours, and very little opportunities for advancement.”

High school advisers are leading students to believe they should look for higher-paying jobs like those involving computers, said Mary Jo Pallardy of Oak Park Hospital.

“We want to go into high schools and even junior highs to tell the positives to the students,” Pallardy said.

Fonteccho said his agency, the Novus Health Group, offers a flight program to interested nurses where 90 percent of them are flown in for interviews.

The U.S. Army Nurse Corps gives interested nurses a chance to become an officer, which provides many benefits, said Recruiting Officer Sgt. Daniel Jones.

Nurses would serve three years of active duty and five years would be spent either for inactive duty or active Army Reserves, Jones said. Officer titles are appointed depending on education, he said.

The Army Nurse Corps provides medical care, paid vacations, travel, advanced and continuing educational opportunities and deferred student loan payments while on active duty.

Many hospitals now are offering student nurses chances for experience as well as jobs, said Lynda Hanbach of St. Joseph Medical Center.

Hanbach said, “We provide a student nurse externship.” She added the externship provides the student with extra time and experience.

In addition, Hanbach said she believes her hospital is different because it pays more. “We (St. Joseph Medical Center) pay $2 more for afternoon and midnight shifts,” she said.

Pallardy said she believes her hospital is unique, “because we offer 100 percent tuition reimbursement in BSN (Bachelor of Science for Nursing) and MSN (Masters of Science for Nursing) degrees at the school of your choice.”

Janet Hall, Loyola University Hospital head nurse, said, “We are impressed with NIU and their graduates.”

NIU’s Student Nursing Organization sponsored a career day here more than 65 hospitals and agencies came to recruit students for jobs and internships.

Sue Vinyard, NIU’s Student Nursing Organization president, said, “There is no on-campus interviewing for nurses, so this career day helps to set up interviews.”

Vinyard said, “It has helped me because I have been able to get a summer job for the last two years.” She said the low pay and long hours do not bother her. “Nursing has improved in the last couple of years, too,” she said.

Career day chairperson Jeanne Shrutek said, “Northern has a good passing rate on the RN (Registered Nurse) exam of 93 percent.”

“I don’t think any Northern graduate has a problem with getting a job, especially with the shortage,” she said.