West Michigan nurses earn 6% less than their national counterparts, a gap that has widened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the region’s hospitals continue attracting and retaining nursing staff at higher rates than the rest of the country.
The findings, part of Grand Valley State University’s annual Health Check report, raise questions about how long local hospitals can retain nursing talent as the region’s population grows and ages, driving up demand for care.
“I question how long we can keep this trend up,” said Cody Kirby, a visiting professor of economics at GVSU’s Seidman College of Business and a co-author of the annual Health Check report. “As long as the demand keeps going up, so must the pay.”…