WEST PLAINS, Mo. (KY3) - According to the National Association of Colleges of Nursing, the U.S. lost 100,000 nurses between 2021 and 2021. Since then, the healthcare industry has been seeking ways to retain and recruit nurses, a task that can be even more challenging for rural hospitals and clinics.

In West Plains, at Ozarks Healthcare, a program has been in place for two years to train and retain nurses in their community.

“In Innovative Pathway, I began my senior year, started talking with Sammi Radosovich, and she kind of helped me with getting my foot in the door with small steps where I could continue networking for my nursing career,” said Raigan Denton, a pharmacy tech at Ozarks Healthcare.

Denton is a nursing student at Missouri State University West Plains, and is taking part i

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