Nurse Shortage in America

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Nurse Shortage In America There is a shortage of all health care professions throughout the United States. One shortage in particular that society should be very concerned about is the shortage of Registered Nurses. Registered Nurses make up the single largest healthcare profession in the United States. A registered nurse is a vital healthcare professional that has earned a two or four year degree and has the upper-most responsibility in providing direct patient care and staff management in a hospital or other treatment facilities (Registered Nurse (RN) Degree and Career Overview., 2009). This shortage issue is imperative because RN's affect everyone sometime in their lifetime. Nurses serve groups, families and individuals to foster health and prevent disease. The nursing shortage is divided into four different categories. The four categories are as follows; "willing nurse" shortage, funding or perceived funding shortage, shortage of understanding that nurses are needed to deliver care, and nurse education and empowerment shortages (What is the nursing shortage and why does it exist?., 18 October, 2007). To be able to repair this major problem, all four segments of shortages need to be addressed. The first nursing shortage, A "willing nurse" shortage, is the simple fact of not enough supply to fill the demand of nursing positions. This shortage occurs either because there are simply not enough nurses to fill the open positions, or because experienced nurses are opting out of nursing and the willingness to provide care due to the current occupational environment. The second nursing shortage is the funding or perceived funding shortage. This shortage is merely due to nurses not feeling as if they are being compensat... ... middle of paper ... ...he-Nursing-Shortage/Background- Brief.aspx Nursing Shortage. (September 2010). Retrieved 6 April, 2011, from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm 5 Little-Known Giant Health Care Issues Facing the United States. (17 October, 2007). Retrieved 1 March, 2011, from http://noedb.org/library/features/5-little-known-giant-health-care- issues-facing-the-united-states Nevidjon, B., & Erickson, J. (31 January, 2001). The Nursing Shortage: Solutions for the Short and Long Term. Retrieved 1 March, 2011, from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/ OJIN/TableofContents/Volume62001/No1Jan01/NursingShortageSolutions.aspx Solutions for the Current Nursing Shortage. (31 March, 2008). Retrieved 1 March, 2011, from http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/solutions-for-the-current-nursing-shortage- 374587.html

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