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Nursing shortage in united states
What are the main impacts on the nursing shortage
Nursing shortage in united states
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The issue The nursing shortage is a growing issue in the United States. The problem began in the 1930s, as there was increased hospital use. Nursing shortage resulted in many hospitals to close beds or hire temporary nurses, which is expensive with the aim of filling the gap and providing less optimal care to the patients (Chan et al., 2013). The issue is not that individuals are not going into the field of nursing. It is the fact that existing nurses are not furthering their education and becoming educators. Shortsightedness and retention concerning retention and recruitment contributed to the beginning of a shortage of nurses in the late 1990s, and the shortfall has lasted for long. Additionally, the lifespan of human beings has increased …show more content…
ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, by promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. Competent level of nursing care as demonstrated by the critical thinking model known as the nursing process. The nursing process includes the components of assessment, diagnosis, outcomes identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation (ANA, …show more content…
They include poor working conditions, short staffing, aging nursing workforce, inadequate resources to help in conducting research, and the expanded career options for women. Studies have shown that insufficient quantity of skilled nurses has a significant effect on the outcomes of the patient. According to American Nurses Association (2010), nurses should also be proficient in communication as they are in the clinical skills. Some components for a healthy working environment include skilled communication, effective decision-making, true collaboration, meaningful recognition, authentic leadership, and appropriate
The nursing shortage in the healthcare setting, can result in decreased quality of care with the patient and this can have a significant impact on the financial aspect of the organization. As time changes, there are more acute illnesses being presented in the hospital as a result of the patient prolonging to seek medical treatment. The delay in seeking medical treatment often stems from the patient not having health insurance and seeking home remedies as an alternate method of treatment. When the patient present to the hospital with multiple acute illnesses, the staff should be skilled, ready and available to render the necessary treatment for the patient. The idea of nursing shortage, poses the risk and outcome of poor
According to institute of medicine (IOM) report of 2010, the United States has the opportunity to renovate its health care system to provide affordable quality care that is reachable to all and leads to improved health outcomes (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010). The impact on nursing of the 2010 institute of medicine formulated with the purpose of producing a report that would make endorsements for an action oriented design for future of nursing profession. The major transformation of the nursing profession is needed to achieve the upgraded health care system through nursing practice, education, and leadership. Overall, the main goal is to provide safe, quality, patient-centered care that is manageable and reasonable to all and enhanced health outcomes. The IOM report offers recommendations that collectively serve as a plan “to ensure that nurses can practice to the full extent of their education and training, improve nursing education, and provide opportunities for the nurses to assume leadership positions and to serve as full partners in health care redesign and improvement efforts, and improve data collection for workforce planning and policy making” (IOM, 2010 p.1).
Nursing Shortage is a problem we all should be aware of. There are many factors that may lead to a nursing shortage, such as having stressful and unsafe working environments, and our nurses are being overworked. This is a problem we should be aware of because it is affecting the patient care. Nurses would not have enough time to stay with a patient if they have more patients to worry about. Nurses play a big role in our hospitals and communities, “Nurses play significant roles in hospitals, clinics and private practices. They make up the biggest health care occupation in the United States. Nursing job duties include communicating between patients and doctors, caring for patients, administering medicine and supervising nurses' aides”(study).
Since the 1990’s, the interest in nursing and the profession as a whole has decreased dramatically and is still expected to do so over the next 10-15 years according to some researchers. With this nursing shortage, many factors are affected. Organizations have to face challenges of low staffing, higher costs for resources, recruiting and reserving of registered nurses, among liability issues as well. Some of the main issues arising from this nurse shortage are the impact of quality and continuity of care, organizational costs, the effect it has on nursing staff, and etc. However, this not only affects an organization and community, but affects the nurses the same. Nurses are becoming overwhelmed and are questioning the quality of care that each patient deserves. This shortage is not an issue that is to be taken lightly. The repercussions that are faced by both nurses and the organization are critical. Therefore, state funding should be implemented to private hospitals in order to resolve the shortage of nurses. State funds will therefore, relieve the overwhelming burdens on the staff, provide a safe and stress free environment for the patient, and allow appropriate funds needed to keep the facility and organization operational.
Nursing shortage is a crisis in hospitals nationwide. The main contributing factors on the current shortage are the steep population growth resulting in a growing need for health care services, a diminishing pipeline of new nursing students, and an aging nursing workforce (Honor Society of Nursing, 2013). Many new managers want new nurses who are worth half the price as older workers; also many old workers are ready for retirement, so they are required to be paid more. Many ...
One of the negative trends heighted by HAP (2014) was that the number of licensed general acute care hospitals has declined by 13 percent since 2003. Unfortunately, this trend can increase the likelihood of adverse patient outcomes as there will be a lot of pressure on the hospitals. The number of acuity patients would outweigh the number of available hospitals needed to treat patients. Consequently, there would be poor patient outcomes. Keenan and Kennedy (2003) in the research, The Nursing Workforce Shortage: Causes, Consequences, Proposed Solutions, argued that acuity patients who in the past would have continued the early stages of their recovery in the hospital will now be discharged to skilled nursing facilities or to their homes as a result of the decline in acute care hospitals.
Historically, in times of nurse shortages, the government as stepped in and provided small amounts of money to subsidize nurse education (Penn Nursing, n.d.). Moreover, the use of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and nurses’ aides (NAs) has been heavily relied on as they are able to complete required education faster and support RNs during times of critical need, such as during war time (Penn Nursing, n.d.). Given the need for RNs to fill many roles in healthcare today and the medical complexity of patient care, LPNs and NAs are likely not the answer to address our current nurse shortage. Rather, the US should put effort into addressing the nursing shortage by promoting a career in nursing, enlarging the student body, increasing compensation, and encouraging professional growth (Penn Nursing, n.d.). For example, many HCOs place high focus on staff education and transition programs in an effort to encourage RNs to develop their careers and continue to work within a healthcare system (Gooch, 2016). A health system in North Carolina, offers financial incentives such as sign-on bonuses, referral bonuses, and scholarship programs (Gooch, 2016). Additionally, many HCOs are offering tuition reimbursement in exchange of a work commitment, partnering with schools of nursing, and providing flexible nurse work schedules
I. The challenge to sustain the supply and demand of the future nursing workforce is more serious than ever.
In the nursing world, situations and environmental factors can negatively affect patient outcomes. This nurse feels that errors mostly occur when staff is overworks and understaffed. When a nurse is in a hurry and there is no one to help out, errors occur. Another cause for a delay in treatment would be nursing high turnover rate. With high turn over rates come inexperienced nurses related to that specific unit.
“By 2025, the shortage of registered nurses is projected to grow to an estimated 260,000, twice as high as any U.S nursing shortages since the 1960’s” (Cullen). Nurses are the backbone of the health care system. They provide overall care and treatment to the patients. Further, while the patient is being admitted, staying and leaving the health care facility, nurses are addressing all of their needs and the families concerns. When facilities do not have adequate staffing the patients and the nurses suffer. In addition to the shortages America is facing, nurses are becoming increasingly stressed and over work. At the same time, the patient care is declining. There are two areas in which the lack of staffing is happening in the United States. First, schools are not accepting enough qualified applicants into the nursing programs. Also, the baby boomers are retiring leaving a huge gap of unfilled nursing positions. The nursing shortages should not be happening on such an epic scale because there are enough qualified applicants wanting to be accepted into the schools.
Since the shortage results in having a high nurse to patient ratio, the patients feel a decrease in the quality of care given. “Low nurse staffing increases the likelihood that some patients will suffer pneumonia, shock and cardiac arrest, and gastrointestinal bleeding, and some patients will die as a result” (Sultz & Young, p. 144). This shortage of nurses leaves each of them with a heavy workload, which does not leave a lot of time to interact with patients. Nurses interact with patients every second of every day; nurses are what patients see as soon as they walk into a health care facility. The satisfaction of patients is a top priority for nurses, but with limited time comes poor communication and possible misdiagnosis. It is important to let the patient describe each symptom and ailment to the nurse so that when then physician steps into the room they can have an understanding on what is going on. With a heavy workload, it could be possible that the nurse fails to collaborate with the physician. It could also be likely that with a heavy workload, the nurse fails to complete the recommended procedures for each
In 2013, about 55 percent of the RN workforce holds a bachelor’s or higher degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the Employment Projections 2012-2022 in December 2013 stating that Registered Nursing (RN) is listed among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2022. The RN workforce is expected to grow from 2.71 million in 2012 to 3.24 million in 2022, an increase of 526,800 or 19%. The Bureau also projects the need for 525,000 replacements nurses in the workforce bringing the total number of job openings for nurses due to growth and replacements to 1.05 million by 2022. One factor that impacts nursing shortage is the shortage of nursing school faculty that restrict nursing program enrollments. According to AACN’s report on 2012-2013 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away 79,659 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2012 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. Since BSN-prepared nurses are more likely than nurses with associate degrees in nursing (ADNs) to eventually attain graduate degrees, an expanded pipeline of BSNs will contribute to solving the nurse faculty
Nursing shortage will increase as there are many nurses approaching retirement age. The problem is not only that there aren’t enough nurses, but they are quitting their jobs as well. Reasons to why nurses leave their jobs are as follows: unsatisfied with their workload or work schedule, there are times they aren’t able to balance their work and family life, and the teaching support (Yedidia, 2014). Fewer nurses on the floor affects patients, other nurses, hospitals, nursing schools, and education. There needs to be a focus on the education that nursing schools are providing. There are job positions available, but some nurses do not meet the education requirements. There needs to be a way to motivate nurses to pursue a higher education so that
As the nursing shortage increases, the number of bedside nurses will decrease, which will place a burden on the nurses that remain within the hospital settings during a time that patients’ illness is more complex. For instance, patients are present within the hospital several types of diseases that require a variety of communication skills to obtain essential data to address the patients need. An example of this was presented within a simulation: The patient recovering from myocardial infarction (MI), a stent placed, diagnosed diabetic, blind, and living alone. This patient presents a multisystem of illnesses that require intense teaching and assistance from multiple sources; therefore, the patients’ outcome depends upon a multidisciplinary
Nursing Shortage is a problem we all should be aware of. There are many factors that may lead to a nursing shortage, such as having stressful and unsafe working environments, and our nurses are being overworked. This is a problem we should be aware of because it is affecting the patient care. Nurses would not have enough time to stay with a patient if they have more patients to worry about. Nurses play a big role in our hospitals and communities, “Nurses play significant roles in hospitals, clinics and private practices. They make up the biggest health care occupation in the United States. Nursing job duties include communicating between patients and doctors, caring for patients, administering medicine and supervising nurses' aides”(study).