Nursing shortage

1-The nursing shortage imapacts the healthcare system and as well as the community. Nurses are the faces of healthcare. they are the managers of care for patients. At the community level we would see it being harder for a patient to recieve care. Without the proper staffing of nurses the community may be forced with longer waiting times to actually be seen. This could also make the cost of care go up for the community. ON the nursing profession side, nurses are constantly faced with being out of ratio. I have never worked at a hospital were ratios were not an issue. It is a very difficult problem and it mainly comes from the nursing shortage. You see more nurses going out of ration which the hospital ends up paying for. You also see nurses who have to pick up extra shifts just to help out the company to ensure that a unit is properly staffed. I do feel like this will always be an issue. Simply because there are so many people in the world and not enough nurses. I see more hospitals starting new graduate programs. This is a great way to help the nursing shortage. When you graduate from nursing school it can be hard to find your first job in an acute care setting. Many places want experience. So they pass up on these new nurses who are ready to work simply because the are not experienced. But a better solution would be to train them , which many facilities have caught on to. Training the nurses and having them sign a contract for 2 years for the cost of training them has help many facilities with their nursing shortage.

Concern over nursing shortage grows. (2018). ACCN Bold Voices. Volume 10, Issue 8: 17-17

2-What is the impact to the nursing profession and to the public related to the projected nursing shortage? Discuss at least one way that the nursing profession is working toward a resolution of this problem.

The nursing profession shortage affects the community drastically. There are many nurses that with each year retire and facilities end up with a nursing shortage. Just like there are many colleges and schools that have nursing graduates, there will always be a need for nurses. “In the United States, the largest group of nurses is expected to retire by the year 2020, pushing health care facilities’ resources beyond their limits.” (Springer Publishing Company, 2015)Nursing shortages not only affect the nurses by overwhelming the nurses but can affect patients completely. A nurse that has been running around like chicken without a head and tending to more than 20 patients will not be able to perform all her nursing duties to the best of her ability. Patients safety is also at risk as nurses will be tired and might have medication or treatment errors due to the fatigue and tiredness. Also, it is important to remember that for specialty areas such as colonoscopy, endoscopy, ER, OR and neonate care many hospitals require experience, a new nurse unless properly trained for months will not be able to attain that position. Many nurses will also retire in these specialty areas and hospitals should implement a way to have a secure education and on-site training for a specific time to train new nurses for these specialties. “Just over a decade ago, in 2000, the estimated pool of registered nurses in the United States was 1.89 million, while the demand was two million—a deficit of only 110,000, or 6%. Yet the gap continues to widen. In 2008, there were approximately 2.6 million working RNs, but it is predicted that by 2020 the shortage will be approximately 808,400 nurses, or 29%.” (Springer Publishing Company, 2015)The nursing profession should consider all this and create a way in which the hospitals can work with the nurses to provide better training for these specialties. It is also imperative that nurses be appreciated, feel connected to their organization and the organization focuses on not only retaining the nurses but making them happy. “Nurses report higher job satisfaction if they perceive they are part of a team and feel a sense of belonging, though age is another variable in retention and job satisfaction.” (Springer Publishing Company, 2015)

Reference:

Springer Publishing Company. (2015, November 04). The Nursing Shortage: Exploring the Situation and Solutions. Retrieved from https://minoritynurse.com/the-nursing-shortage-exploring-the-situation-and-solutions/

3-By the year 2024, there are projected to be over one million nursing vacancies alone (Weiss et al 2014).

The nurses that are from the baby boomer generation will be exiting the workforce creating a huge amount of vacant positions. The AACN reports that every year the rate of vacant positions go up 2-3% each. The question then is what do when do to change this trajectory? The answers lie in partnering with schools of nursing to assist in graduating more competent nurses. There also appears to be a shortage of qualified nursing faculty to teach in the nursing schools. The AACN suggest perhaps the government and private sector subsidizing faculty salaries. One of the thing that many hospital are doing in a effort to minimize the problem, encourage continuing education. Hospital are encouraging nurses to advance their education and they give monetary compensation. In return, the nurse agree to work for a stated time after degree is complete. This serves as a win-win situation for the facility and the nurse.

Impact on nursing shortage, increased wait times, in every health care entity. Primary care, secondary care, tertiary care all will feel the impact. The other is quality of care will be compromised. Less nurses mean short cuts, shorts cuts equal errors. The abilty to deliver great patient care will be compromised. finacial aspect will be felt by all consumers, less supply/ more demand means increased price for healthcare.

Reeference

www.AACNNursing.org

Weiss, D., Tilin, F., Morgan, M (2014) The Interprofessional healthcare Team: Leadership & Development.