The Global Nursing Shortage

Georgia M. Stead
Writ 331
5 May, 2014
The Global Nursing Shortage
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nursing is listed among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2022, with the demand increasing at least 19% by the year 2022 (2012). Particularly in the past decade, there is a serious shortage in the number of nurses to fill the vast amount of open positions available. Why is there such a shortage in the nursing profession, and is the nursing shortage real in this type of economy? Unexpectedly, there are many unemployed nurses today, struggling to find employment. An MPR news article by Annie Baxter stated that she had interviewed many unemployed nurses that claim the shortage is just a myth. She goes on to say “as the recession hit, people used health care less, promoting hospitals to hire fewer nurses” (2012). This information couldn’t be further from the truth. The health care industry is at an all-time high right now and there are a plethora of nursing opportunities out there. The nursing shortage is very real, and the misconception lies in the fact that hospitals are requiring a higher level of education than previously. You might ask, if there is such a shortage, why would they be more selective in their criteria? Due to the shortage, nurses are being forced to be more responsible in their work, more independent, work longer hours, and manage an unfavorable amount of patients at a time. This demanding work is requiring hospitals to become more selective in the types of nurses they hire (Aiken L.H., 2011). In this presentation, I will thoroughly explain these growing issues, how the unavailability of a nursing education is the main reason there is a global nursing shortage today, and voice m...

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