The New Nursing Shortage Analysis

The shortage of nurses in the United States has been discussed often and has been fully reported in the media over the past several decades. There have been reports of shortages so critical that they actually have become "…a national security concern" (Nelson, 2002). Moreover, the reasons for the shortages and potential solutions for this crisis are extremely well covered in the scholarly literature. In this paper, an article in the peer-reviewed Health Marketing Quarterly points to how the nursing shortage can be addressed using marketing strategies. In addition, other scholarly articles will be reviewed in order to address the challenges and consequences that could result if this crisis is not addressed immediately.

It is no secret that the United States is currently experiencing a shortage of nurses . “The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics ( 2009 ) estimated that more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2018 to meet the increased demands of the health care workforce” (). The stressful conditions under which nurses work, due in part to the nursing shortage, are among the risk factors that contribute to nurses’ abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol. Nurses are unique in that they work in an environment where they not only have access to controlled substances, but also are exposed to critically ill patients, traumatic situations, death and dying, the stress of which can increase the risk of substance abuse. (Epstein, Burns, & Conlon, 2010). Unfortunately, it is the patient that suffers the most.

This is because of the continued shortage of nurses to take care of the growing number of patients in nursing homes, health care centers and hospitals. According to the article “Addressing the Nursing Shortage,” studies show that “the nursing shortage will grow to a staggering one million RNs by the year 2020 if the nursing shortage is not aggressively addressed” (1). The high number of nurses that are of retirement age coupled with the decreasing number of new nursing graduates has contributed to the current nursing shortage. This shortage also affects the current nurse faculty shortage. The issues contributing to the nursing shortage are multifaceted: a diminishing pipeline of new nurses due to a faculty shortage that has resulted in thousands of potential students being turned away, steep population growth in several states. This nursing shortage contributes to nursing fatigue, the possibility of medical errors and compromised patient safety, and poor patient outcomes. In 2011, the Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert to call attention to health care worker fatigue as it relates to patient safety, noting a link between healthcare worker fatigue and adverse events (Martin,

The national nursing shortage is an ever-growing concern and it is essential for health care organizations to confront the looming issue. Possible solutions to the nursing shortage include retaining older nurses who are looking to retire, increasing the amount of students graduating from nursing schools, and drawing nurses who have left the nursing workforce back to the bedside (Hatcher, 2006). Leaders must assess the nursing turnover in their organization and strategize on ways to retain those nurses. Organizations must implement techniques to retain older nurses to help combat the national nursing shortage and prevent a national healthcare disaster (Keller & Burns, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to identify the demographic breakdown of an organization, explain how the organization’s environment is conducive and non-conducive to older workers, and describe tactics to retain older workers.

In 1960, Virginia Avenel Henderson a nurse and a theorist in the same time, defined nursing, “the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible”. It is a noble function and to be fulfilled at the highest levels, it takes time, patience and the devotion. When the number of people given this care is much lower than that of people who must receive the care, then a crisis occurs. The phenomenon is acute not only in America but all around the world. Even if the nursing is considered a meaningful work, the country is facing a nursing shortage that grows more with each passing year. Nursing shortages in America affect all parts of the health care delivery system.

The national nursing shortage is an ever-growing concern, and it is essential for healthcare organizations to confront the looming issue. Possible solutions to the nursing shortage include retaining older nurses who are looking to retire, increasing the amount of students graduating from nursing schools, and drawing nurses back to the bedside who have left the nursing workforce (Hatcher, 2006). Leaders must assess the nursing turnover in their organization, and they must strategize on ways to retain those nurses. Organizations must implement techniques to retain older nurses to help combat the national nursing shortage and prevent a national healthcare disaster (Keller & Burns, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to identify the demographic breakdown of an organization, explain how the organization’s environment is conducive and non-conducive for older workers, and describe tactics to retain older workers.

health care professionals in the United States.Current and projected nursing shortages reflect the fact that fewer people are entering the profession.Shortages are difficult to estimate and project.In the past,shortages have tended to be resolved as wages rose in response to increased need for RNs.In addition, there is a cyclical aspect to shortages,as RNs are more likely to work when the economy is doing less well.1 Projected shortages differ from past circumstances in that,by 2020,a decline in the number of available nurses will coincide with an increased need for nursing services due to aging of the baby boom generation.These changes suggest that it will be more difficult,and more costly,to respond to the future

Between you and I we have said it all, you brought up the element of putting more doctors into the system, however, I read one study that stated MDs would rather work in major cities and not small towns. So, I believe the shortage will be handled by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs).

There are two challenges that remote population are facing for access the healthcare – nursing staff retention and partnerships with remote community. Nursing shortages are a worldwide problem that has the potential to generate unfavorable impacts on the quality of nursing care (Chan, Tam, Lung, Wong, & Chau, 2013). There are many factors that may contribute to nursing shortages such as aging faculty, reduced younger hiring pool, poor salaries and working conditions, the negative image of the nurse, role dissatisfaction, and low enrollment rates of nursing students (Nardi & Gyurko, 2013). One solution to reduce nursing shortages is to improve working conditions. This improvement relies on the mobilization of resources to address high nurse-patient

The national nursing shortage is predicted to continue to rise to levels that have not been seen since the 1960’s (Fasoli, 2010). Managers must create an environment that is conducive to employees. The leader needs to promote organizational commitment and retain employees by promoting a positive culture on the unit. Nurses want an environment where they can provide high-quality care to patients and leaders must help facilitate and maintain this environment. Employees also want to feel like their opinions matter to the manager, and they have a say in the future of the unit. Employees do not want to feel like they are not important, or their voices are not being heard.

Is the nursing shortage in the United States real? The answer to that question is not as simple as it may seem. The nursing shortage greatly depends on the constant changes in healthcare coverage, for example Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements but it is also based on the rising number of the aging population. Although many sources predict that the nursing shortage is expected to get worse overall throughout the United States. There many other sources that we must consider when debating whether or not there is a big deficit. There are over 3 million nurses in America and they make up the largest segment of the health-care workforce in the U.S. (Grant, 2016). Nursing is one of the largest number of healthcare professionals in the United

Modern nursing is a rewarding, but challenging, career choice. The modern nurse's role is not limited only to assist the doctor in procedures, however. Instead, the contemporary nursing professional takes on a partnership role with both the doctor and patient as advocate caregiver, teacher, researcher, counselor, and case manager. The caregiver role includes those activities that assist the client physically, mentally, and emotionally, while still preserving the client's dignity. In order for a nurse to be an effective caregiver, the patient must be treated in a holistic manner. Within the subject of nursing, there are often times in which different aspects of the practice must be analyzed by using primary research from other scholars. Nursing scholarship is vital to the profession, as we have seen, in order for the modern nurse to remain current with scholarship and practice. At the very core of this paradigm, though, is the manner in which the blend of art and science in nursing will be expressed to others, to the next generation, and through pedagogical theory (Alligood & Tomey, 2002). To do this, however, requires a new approach to the paradigm of nursing leadership strategic thinking, planning and action and above all appropriate integration of a more holistic and multidisciplinary approach to professional nursing.

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

I enjoyed reading your post. The work force, primary the nursing staff and the unclear future of health care caught my attention. The nursing shortage will impact all areas of healthcare. There are two local colleges that have a nursing school for associate degree nurses (ADN) within the community that Lakeland Healthcare hires from. The recommendations from the Institute of Medicine is to have over 80 percent bachelor of science nursing degree (BSN) by 2020 (Hewitt, 2016). There have been multiple recommendations in the past for registered nurses (RN) in my organization to obtain a BSN degree. Starting in January, 2017 it will become a requirement. A committee has been meeting for over six months on how to implement this process.

The nursing shortage is no longer a projected problem in the healthcare industry in the United States, this problem is present and is not phasing out anytime soon. Addressing this challenge would improve job satisfaction, reduce burnout in the profession and ultimately improve retention.