Growing Nursing Shortages

Nursing is at the core of the healthcare profession. The lack of respect for this practice is astonishing and it threatens life as we know it. The demand for nurses is higher than ever before but the supply is at an all-time low. Today’s generation is unmotivated and uninterested in the nursing profession causing an enormous shortage. The government is working with state officials to increase incentives and create more modernized standards of clinical care. Ultimately it is the responsibility of present and future generations to put nursing as a top priority once again. It is a nurse’s duty to develop a professional connection with the patient but with the ever changing nursing practice this has almost been eliminated. This puts the quality of care for the patient at risk and is a huge concern for this profession. Veteran nurses have not accepted change very well and find they are unprepared in an environment where resources are diminishing. They are required to do more work in less time with less help. Balancing an overloaded schedule and maintaining a positive yet professional attitude has proven to be a challenge. In the last sixty years, the time a nurse takes familiarizing herself with the patients’ needs is cut in half and having “sit-downs” with the patients are out the window. Newly graduated nurses find assessments need to be quick and require more observation rather than verbal communication. The patient may interpret this behavior as cold and rushed, thus a “bad” visit is born. In reality the nurse probably was a little short with the patient and maybe even a little overwhelmed, however this should not be regurgitated back at the patient. They are in need of professional medical assistance and unaware of the difficul... ... middle of paper ... ...xpeditiously retiring. They are going to need medical assistance and there is no other option, but to take the reins and aim for a better system that works for everyone. There should be a sense of apprehension when choosing a career in nursing. Modifications have been set in place making the road to a nursing degree more assessable and the incentives for considering this profession are phenomenal. It is however, the responsibility of present and future generations to put nursing as a top priority once again. Works Cited Hansen, B., CQ Researcher, “Nursing Shortage.” 12, 745-768. 20 September 2010. Web. 27 September 2011. Nelson, Sioban and Gordon Suzanne, The Complexities of Care: “Nursing Reconsidered.” New York: Cornell University Press, 2006. Print. Vallano, T. Annette, Your Career in Nursing. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002. Print