Becoming An Inadequate Number Of Nursing Staff

Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care

Registered nurses are an integral part of the healthcare system, and make up the largest number of healthcare professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015) “The employment rate for registered nurses is expected to grow by 16% between 2014 and 2024”. This is more than double the average rate of growth for a profession. The rapid growth rate can be attributed in part to better management of chronic diseases and the baby boomer generation. The growth in the nursing profession is paramount, however the demographics of the nursing population does not mirror the demographics of the population served.

The purpose of this article is to discuss appropriate nurse staffing and staffing ratios and its impact on patient care. Although the issue is just not about numbers as we discuss staffing we begin to see how complex the issue has become over the years. Many factors can affect appropriate nurse staffing ratios. As we investigate nurse staffing ratios we can see the importance of finding the right mix and number of nurses to provide quality care for patients.

Nursing is an emotionally, physically, and demanding profession. It truly takes a distinct individual to become a nurse, although, anyone could complete the course work and sit for the NCLEX exam to pass the licensure to become a nurse, with that being said, not everyone that completes the requirements to become a nurse will exhibit the quality nurses should. Nurses require empathy, compassion, knowledge of expertise, time management skills, superb communication and writing technique, and calmness amongst an emergency situation are beneficial attributes to possess. Sarah Cook, RN, BSN, OCN has been a nurse for over seven years, working inpatient oncology for four years and the last one and half years in oncology administration facilitating the building of Parkview Regional Medical Center’s Cancer Institute. Sarah attended college at Ivy Tech Community College where she attained her Associate in Science Nursing degree, continuing her education at Indiana Wesleyan obtaining her Bachelors of Science in Nursing and currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Nursing and Masters of Business Administration.

upon nurses which might be expected to increase their work related stress and reduce the

While the US has more nurses and physicians than ever before, upcoming retirements and a dysfunctional workplace are creating clinical shortages that can become more severe than the industry can bear (Woods, D. 2009). According to research, half of all nurses working today were born during the baby-boomer years. Therefore, the workforce is aging at a rapid rate. As such, in efforts to prevent a mass exodus from the profession, healthcare organizations leaders are exploring innovative ways to keep experienced nurses (Larson, J, 2009). The average age of registered nurses has risen from 41 in 2002 to 48 in 2006(Bolton-Burnes L. 2007). Even more troubling, in 2006, 45% of hospital-employed RNs

The Nursing Profession has been experiencing shortages for many years. The pattern seems to be repetitive, high demand for nurses followed by phases of downsizing with a surplus of nurses. The earlier years of the nursing shortage was short compared to today’s current nursing shortage. The nursing shortage exist globally and in all nursing areas. There are several factors that are the cause of the nursing shortage of today as well in years past.

The contrast between an adequately staffed ward and one with a low nursing staffing level is tangible. Staff nurses and patients have expressed how inadequate staffing levels affect them and there is a substantial amount of evidence-based research showing the negative effects of low nursing staffing levels on patient and nursing outcomes. Nursing resource allocation and reallocation of staff nurses is a time consuming and challenging task for nurse leaders, who must ensure safe staffing levels are upheld (Ball et al. 2014). With an increasing constraint on health expenditure, nursing staffing levels in hospitals has become a main target for financial limits and spending reductions. To the extent of which the nursing profession has been called a ‘soft target’, for it is easier to reduce nursing staffing level, as opposed to other means of cutting costs, such as improving efficiency (Aiken et al. 2014b).

I would assume that all of us aspire to live a long healthy life, however, sometimes things don’t go as planned and some of us ultimately end up suffering from some type of ailment throughout our lives’. It would be disappointing if there wasn’t a nurse to care for you during your visit to a clinical facility. Unfortunately, this dilemma might come into existence due to a possible nursing shortage in the near future. That being said, all patients and their family members would be outraged if their loved one wasn’t receiving adequate care, understandably so. In addition, this scenario would also take a toll on physicians because I don’t believe they would be able to tack on all of the work that a nurse is specializes in.

The health care industry is in need of a strong nursing workforce that can provide quality care. The present nursing shortage is only predicted to worsen as the baby boomers retire and health care needs expand. The shortage is projected to reach more than one million nurses, and reform is needed to increase the interest in nursing therefore funding is needed for this transformation ((American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.). Prevention is essential to quality care therefore public health nurses need to be trained and have incentive to take these positions (American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.). There is also a growing need for advanced nurse practitioners to assist in running clinics to personalize patient care and improve relationships between health care providers and patients (American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.). With around 2.4 million providers, registered nurses make up the largest group of health care professionals ((American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.). They are involved in every aspect of patient care, and when there are not adequate nurses to care for patients, barriers to quality health are created. This makes it so vitally important that the nursing shortage be addressed focusing on education, practice, retention, and recruitment (American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.).

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 health care industry is experiencing a crisis. In the United States, registered nurses (RNs) are in short supply, and the shortage is expected to increase to 29% by the year 2020 (Akinci & Krolikowski, 2005). Although nursing homes have traditionally utilized Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), higher acuity patients have caused nursing homes to rethink staffing levels across the board. Due to demographic changes and an increased population of adults 65 and older, the American Health Care Association projects the need for nursing home personnel to increase more than 60% from 1999 to 2020 (Akinci & Krolikowski, 2005). The need for staff and the amount of staff available are going in opposite directions. Recent studies have

The constant problem that nurses have is having a low staffing rate which can lead to bigger problems in the end. They are not always treated good so they end up leaving their job when they shouldn’t even have to go through all of this at work. This includes everyone in the workplace, even patients and co-workers and you would think that the patients would be nice to their nurses when they are just trying to care of them. Their bosses overwork them without giving out long breaks which can lead to the nurses have back problems or just being so exhausted. Not having long breaks or at least a 30 minute break could also lead to having problems with their joints then they would have to miss work. If they miss work then they miss out on the money

Low nurse staffing levels are credited for the reduced rates of patient outcome. Therefore, there is a need for improved nurse staffing levels to meet the growing demand for health care delivery services in the hospitals. Currently, there is the need for higher staffing levels to serve the growing global population. However, improving the staff levels is not as straightforward and easy as it sounds in theory. Staffing levels are low in most states in the US and most countries in the world. The main factors that contribute to the low staffing levels include but not limited to the big gap between the number of registered nurse and the industry requirement and the rising needs of the acuity patients present in the US today. In other words, there

Instability with nurse staffing is costly and not only the financial aspect of it, unstable nurse staffing and turnover can result in inadequate care, decrease productivity, and cause poor work environment, and cause additional turnover. Studies have shown that hospitals with lower nursing turnover rates have lower risk-adjusted mortality and lower lengths of stay (Minority Nurse, 2013). There are multiple recruitment initiatives that healthcare organizations can be instituted to assist in reversing the nursing shortage. External initiatives might consist of offering referral bonuses, working collaboratively with nursing schools as primary clinical site rotations, hiring new graduate nurses, establishing residency programs, targeting more males for the field, and having clinical nurses visit high schools to increase students' interest in the health care field are ways to combat the shortage of nurses.