The nursing shortage most likely does not mean a great deal to people until they are in the care of a nurse. The United States is in a severe nursing shortage with no relief in sight due to many factors compounding the problem and resulting in compromised patient care and nurse burnout. Nursing shortages have been experienced in the past by the United States and have been overcome with team effort. However, the current shortage is proving to be the most complex and great strides are being made to defeat the crisis before it becomes too difficult to change. Researchers anticipate that by 2010, the United States will need almost one million more registered nurses than will be available (Cherry & Jacob, 2005, p. 30). The term “nursing shortage” is not new to America. In fact, the United States has past experiences with such shortages. It is important to recognize past nursing shortages because the events will assist researchers in examining the sources and strategies used to overcome the nursing deficit and facilitate a solution to the current crisis. During World War I and World War II, America called upon thousands of women to become nurses for their country to help in hospitals and overseas units. America’s calling was considered a success and by the end of World War I, 23,000 nurses served in Army and Navy cantonments and hospitals, 10,000 served overseas, and 260 either died in the line of duty or from the influenza pandemic (“Nursing Reflections”, 2000, p. 18). In the early 1930s, nurses experienced the devastation of the depression. Families were very poor and unable to feed themselves let alone pay for a nursing visit. This caused many nurses to seek work elsewhere. Nurses who were lucky to be empl... ... middle of paper ... ...ttp://www.op.nysed.gov/nurseshortage.htm Cherry, B., Jacob, S. (2005). Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, & Management (pp. 30-31). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby Inc. Clark, P., Leddy, K., Drain, M., Kaldenberg, D. (2007). State nursing shortages and patient satisfaction [Electronic Version]. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 119-127. Glendale Community College Library Media Center Glendale, AZ. 7 June 2007 Kelly, J. (2007, June 10). Nursing programs struggle to expand. The Arizona Republic, p. B3, B7. Mosby, Inc. Nursing Reflections: a Century of Caring. St. Louis: Mosby, 2000. West, E., Griffith, W., Iphofen, R. (2007, April vol.16/no.2). A historical perspective on the nursing shortage. Professional Issues, 124-130. Zerwekh, J., Claborn, J. (2006). Nursing today: Transitions and trends (pp. 343-346). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby Inc.
Newbergh, C. (2005, 11/2005). The Robert Wood Foundation’s Commitment to Nursing. To Improve Health and Health Care, VIII, 1-16.
"State Legislative Initiatives to Address the Nursing Shortage." American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Oct. 2006. 11 Dec. 2012 .
Roux, G., & Halstead, J. A. (2009). Issues and trends in nursing: essential knowledge for today and tomorrow. (p. 349). Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett. Retrieved from http://wgu.coursesmart.com/9781449608347/1?CSTenantKey=wgu
Nevidjon, B., & Erickson, J. (31 January, 2001). The Nursing Shortage: Solutions for the Short
...re opportunities for nurses. Today’s demand for skilled nurses significantly outweighs the supply of such professionals. In an economically challenged background, all nations are actively looking for ways to change healthcare by expanding value in the care delivery systems. For nurses, everyone’s role adds value to the patients, the communities, the countries, and the world. The development and evolution of nursing is associated with the historical influences throughout different ages. The study of the history of nursing helps understand the issues that confronted the profession. It also allows nurses to gain the appreciation they deserve for playing the role of caring for patients during wartime. The role of the profession has played an important part of history. Through the history, each nurse has efficiently established the achievements of the history of nursing.
The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States has been a cyclical topic dating back to the 1960s. Only recently have employers in certain regions of the nation stated a decline in the demand for RNs. Consequently, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2014) report on 2012-2013 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, American nursing schools denied admission to 79,659 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2012. The reported decrease in job availability and rejected admissions has left many individuals to question if the nursing shortage still exists. On the other hand, some experts project that the United States will be short more than one million RNs by 2020 (Dolan, 2011). Although some parts of the country are in less of a demand than others, it is undeniable that there is a national shortage of RNs.
Zerwekh, J., & Garneau, A. Z. (2012). Nursing today: Transitions and trends. (7th ed.). Phoenix, AZ: Elsevier Saunders.
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.
RNs are on the top of the list of jobs open in health care, and are also in the top ten to have open jobs (Damp). In the US there are approximately 3.1 million RNs; they make up about seventy percent of a hospital staff. Nurses aren’t only women now; statistics have shown that the amount of men in the nursing field is growing (Cardillo). Nursing is expected to be in a higher demand in cities, and small areas. It is expected for it to grow twenty-six percent in the next few years ("Degree Programs for Registered Nurses”). Facilities are never over staffed; nursing jobs will always be
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
Recent literature reports that there is a nursing shortage and it is continually increasing. Data released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2011) projects that the shortage, would increase to 260,000 by the year 2025. AACN (2011) also reported that 13% of newly registered nurses changed jobs and 37% were ready to change within a year. A study conducted reports that there is a correlation between higher nursing workloads and nurse burnout, retention rates, job dissatisfaction and adverse patient outcomes (Vahey & Aiken, 2004). Among the nurses surveyed in the study, over 40% stated that they were suffering from burnout while 1 in 5 nurses intended
One of the few careers left in the United States that is said to be everlasting, seems to be getting a taste of reality. What once was a thriving career has steadily begun to struggle with a call to arms. Hospitals around the world are finding that the need for nurses is increasing as new nurse graduates are decreasing. Nursing schools are unable to produce enough new graduates to meet the need. Which causes a need for adequate instructors with the knowledge necessary to educate nursing students. Even with the rate of nurses graduating each year with Bachelors and Associates, why are we in such a drastic need for nurses? Has the population and illness increased so fast that our current nurses are not able to keep pace? Many researchers have attempted to figure out what may be causing this need. This need for nurses is vital to patient care and outcome, but we still lack consensus. The question that has been asked since the 1980s with no resolution.
It is likely that most people have heard about the nursing shortage for years now, and perhaps they believe it’s been fixed. However, the nursing profession is experiencing a reoccurring deficiency. According to Brian Hansen, (2002), there was a nation wide shortage in 2001 of 126,000 full-time registered nurses, but the shortage will surge to 808,000 by 2020 if something isn't done. This pattern is a persisting cycle of high vacancies followed by layoffs and a high over supply of registered nurses. Various factors contribute to the lack of nurses within the health care facilities, but today’s shortages are a little different. Many feel that this scarcity is severe and long-drawn-out. The four major issues contributing to the nursing shortage include demand, supply, educational preparedness, and job satisfaction.
In the early 1950s, a becoming a nurse was considered to be more voluntary than vocational. Nurses would make the beds, smile in the faces of the patients and check temperatures. This is not the case today, they play a major role in our health care and we should no longer take them for granted. Registered Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals in the United States and there is a massive shortage nationwide, especially in Texas. In 2006 Texas was reported to have over 146,000 Registered Nurses; this is only around 609 nurses per 100,000 residents, as opposed to the national statistic of 782 per 100,000. (Ogle, 2006). In trying to examine the causes for the shortages in Texas, we will look at the reason for the lack in supply and demand, as well as discuss how a nurse’s pay is determined and how their salary is structured.
“What is a nurse?”. Denotatively, a nurse is “a person trained to care for the sick or infirm, especially in a hospital”; But nurses are far than just a trained individual, nurses are far more important which is why they are in such high demand. Nurses have always been in high demand. For hundreds of years now nursing has played a very important role in health care and the lives of numerous individuals. “The United States alone plans to add more than 382,000 nursing jobs in the next 10 years”. Four factors explaining why nursing jobs are currently in such high demand are: The academic selection process is very rigorous, the growing number of retiring nurses, nurses not having what it takes to keep up, also to prevent the doctors from getting