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Breakout Session 102: Tackling the Nursing Shortage

Health care providers across the nation are currently experiencing a shortage of nurses, and it is only anticipated to worsen over the next decade with numerous nurses entering retirement age. During this session, representatives from the Iowa Board of Nursing and Department of Education will identify current and projected trends in the healthcare industry and the efforts underway to address these challenges from a Federal and State perspective. Presenters will also discuss opportunities for aging services providers to collaborate in these efforts.

  • Review current and projected data to understand trends in the nursing workforce.
  • Identify efforts to address nursing shortages and opportunities to collaborate.
  • Strategize measures that long-term care providers can take to prepare for the worsening nursing shortages.

Kendra Lindloff, MSN, RN, CNE, Associate Director Education/CE/Workforce, Board of Nursing, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Des Moines
Kendra Lindloff joined the Iowa Board of Nursing in 2022 and has assumed the role of Associate Director of Continuing Education and Workforce. In addition she has assumed the duties of evaluation of nursing programs and answering practice questions. In the private sector she has done staff development, clinic manager, assisted nursing programs in her consulting/integration specialist roles as well as content development for prelicensure nursing programs. Other roles in the public sector included Director of Nursing Education at Iowa Lakes Community College, Associate professor at Rio Hondo College in California as well as adjunct faculty at California State University Los Angeles. Her educational background includes an Associates Degree from North Iowa Area Community College, Bachelor's degree in Nursing from The University of Iowa and a Master's of Science in Nursing Administration from Indiana University. She also is a certified nurse educator and enjoys chairing the Iowa Center for Nursing Workforce advisory committee. She is an active member of the American Holistic Nurses Association as well as a member of Sigma Theta Tau.

Joe Collins, Career Pathways & Health Sciences CTE Consultant, Iowa Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges & Workforce Preparation, Des Moines
Joe Collins joined the Iowa Department of Education in 2017 and has worked in a number of different roles to help address our skilled workforce challenges in Iowa. Supporting industry sector partnerships, designing work-based learning initiatives and now serving as the state health science career and technical education advisor, Joe brings his passion for education and training to every project. Prior to joining the Department, he worked as a trainer for Iowa Workforce Development to develop and lead workshops throughout the community on topics such as resumes, interviewing, work ethic and conflict resolution to a wide range of audiences. Before diving head first into the public sector, he also worked in HR, project management and marketing in the private sector. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Spanish and International Business from Iowa State University and a Master of Science in Adult, Continuing and Occupational Education from Kansas State University.


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