Utah hospitals can't train enough new nurses because the experienced nurses who mentor them are in short supply, a CommonSpirit Health leader said at a Salt Lake City roundtable.

Crystal Albrecht, director of operations at CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region and a Chamberlain University alumna, made the case at a Sept. 23 healthcare workforce event organized by Axios.

"We don't have an adequate supply of experienced nurses to train those new nurses," Albrecht said, as Axios reported on Sept. 28.

Albrecht built her nursing career within Utah's Holy Cross hospital network and previously led the emergency department at Holy Cross Hospital–Jordan Valley, according to information provided by Chamberlain University.

Her comments pointed to a cycle that compounds the staffing crisis. Hospitals recruit new nurses, but those hires need mentoring from seasoned colleagues who are themselves scarce.

The roundtable, moderated by Axios reporters Erin Alberty and Adriel Bettelheim and sponsored by Covista and Chamberlain University, gathered several Utah healthcare leaders. They described a workforce problem that stretches beyond headcount.

Sarah Woolsey, medical director at the Association for Utah Community Health, said low wages drive turnover. She said Utah's lack of unions and state support structures means young recruits "may not stay because it's not going to be a livable wage over time."

Cameron Wright, chief operating officer at Proxima Careers, said healthcare careers feel out of reach for many people. Teresa Garrett, chair of the Utah Health Workforce Advisory Council Legislative Review Committee, called for better data on the state's healthcare employees.

Chamberlain University president Amelia Manning said the school's new Utah campus is strengthening its nursing program to prepare students for the realities of chronic understaffing.

The post-pandemic healthcare hiring boom has slowed nationally, according to Axios, tightening hospital capacity and creating new barriers for training programs that depend on clinical placements.

No specific policy proposals emerged from the roundtable. The conversation instead identified overlapping problems, including wages, data gaps and training bottlenecks, that participants said require coordinated attention.