Five Questions: Robin Vogt

Robin Vogt is director of medical services at Royal Oaks Hospital, an inpatient behavioral health facility in Windsor. She has been on the Cox College of Nursing and Health Sciences board since 2003 and was recently elected chairwoman. A 1982 alumna of the college, Vogt has served as a nurse in a variety of settings, from flight nurse at University of Missouri-Columbia to trauma nursing to newborn intensive care. She also served eight years on the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

Q: What does your job with Royal Oaks entail?

A: My current position is advanced practice nursing. My (Ph.D.) is in health administration, but I practice as a family nurse practitioner, managing medical problems of patients. So I have some administrative functions, but my primary focus is still patient care.

Q: Other than its name, how has Cox College changed since you graduated?

A: The college has shifted since I was in school from primarily a nursing program to cover more of the health sciences, looking at market needs. There’s a dearth of health care professionals throughout the industry, so we’re trying to develop programs that not only the Springfield area needs but also (assessing) needs nationally.

Q: Is the nursing employment situation improving?

A: No. In fact, it’s going to progressively get worse. Many students are entering into health care at a much later age than they did in the 1980s and 90s, when they were fresh out of high school. (Nurses) are not practicing as long because they retire earlier. Around 2020, we’ll see a big decrease in the amount of nurses available. As the population gets older and needs more elder care – because people are just living longer – that’s a real struggle to keep enough nurses.

Q: What else is exacerbating the shortage?

A: Part of the problem is having enough nursing educators to teach students. We only allow a certain ratio of students per nursing instructor, because there has to be close contact with students, unlike a classroom setting where you can accommodate 30 or more students. There’s a big need for clinical instructors, and there’s a shortage throughout the nation of those as well.

Q: Is there still a feeling that nursing is primarily a job for women?

A: As late as the 1980s, nursing and teaching were what most females did. There is still somewhat of a stigma, but it’s markedly improved. We do have some younger men going into nursing, which I’m always excited to see because they typically make good nurses. What helps is that nursing has shifted from being a subservient role to being a profession that helps to coordinate the care of patients.

Interview by Jeremy Elwood.