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Demand Versus Supply Essay

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Demand Versus Supply of Registered Nurses
HCS/552
March 19, 2012
Jayme Carrico

Demand Versus Supply of Registered Nurses Demand versus supply in the United States continues to be an issue with increasing shortages of registered nurses (RN) and the increasing demand for health care services. There is a higher demand for registered nurses because of the increase in population, aging baby boomers, and increase in chronic diseases. The shortage of registered nurses impacts the health status and quality of life of the population. Factors that impact health care are the importance of supplying adequate nursing personnel and retaining RN’s in the workplace. There is a need to provide resources to educate …show more content…

A factor that has heightened the need for more nurses is advancements in technology. New advancements in technology and information systems are changing nursing careers providing more opportunities to diversity and a need for more highly educated nurses. There are several national trends that contribute to the nursing shortage such as health insurance coverage, physicians shifting more work to the nurses, and the aging population. “These national trends will impact the need, educational preparation, and size of the nursing workforce” (Nickitas, 2012, para. 2). Population growth is another contributor from technology advancements causing increased life expectancy that result in the population to have a higher rate of people over age 65. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (2002) the national supply and demand projections are: In 2002, there was a nursing shortage of 110, 000 or six percent. The shortage is to grow relatively slowly until 2010, by which time it will have reached 12 percent. Demand will begin to exceed supply at an accelerated rate by 2015; will have quadrupled to a 20% nursing shortage. If current trends continue, the shortage is projected to grow to 29 % by 2020 (p. 2).
Supply
The factors affecting the supply of registered nurses causing the shortages are the decline in nurse graduates, aging workforce, decreased salaries, and alternative job

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