The goals of the nursing profession have remained relatively stable for centuries. On the other hand, compensation for nurses has undergone many changes. Early nursing services were mainly voluntary and related to religious practice. Early on nurses did not receive any form of compensation. In other words, nurses were not paid for the services that they performed. In early cultures, human life was less respected and caretakers generally had very low status. The first to demand higher education for nurses were The Sisters of Charity, which was established in the 1500s, was the first nursing order with a systematic education program (Wolfe). By the 1800s, the nursing profession and nursing education were undergoing major reforms. In the United States, the civil war stimulated the growth of nursing and after the war, nursing education and practice expanded as nursing schools provided classroom instruction as well as clinical practice. Traditionally viewed as a female dominated field, nursing is one of the most underpaid occupations when compared to male dominated job categories.
A 1955 study showed a marked disparity when the salaries for nurses were compared with those of other workers. “The average gross monthly salary for a general duty nurse was $235, which included the estimated cash value of any benefits provided by the hospital. Nurses’ salaries were below those of accountants, draftsmen, teachers, social welfare and recreation workers, and librarians” (Wolfe). Therefore, nurses where paid less than most average jobs. Nurses despite long hours and difficult working conditions were being denied their rightful salary. In some cases the educational requirements and professional responsibilities of nurses exceeded those of th...
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...expected in future years. Experts expect that in 2025, the nursing shortage will grow to 260,000 registered nurses. Occurring just as 7,000 U.S. citizens will be turning 65 every day. There has been documented 9 to 16 patients assigned to one nurse, and numbers were higher on the night shift. To cover gaps, nurses work overtime and are assigned to other units. “During one particularly frenetic evening on an unfamiliar unit, I was given only a tape-recorded report and assigned ten patients with whom I was unfamiliar” (Adams). This emphasizes how nurses are given patients they have no familiarity, this is a hazard because these nurses have not been properly informed of specific patient care and proper handling. Potentially dangerous medication errors can happen. Also insufficient nursing coverage can result in patients going unmonitored and unexamined for hours.
In the case of nurse staffing, the more nurses there are the better outcome of patient safety. When there enough staff to handle the number of patients, there is a better quality of care that can be provided. The nurses would be able to focus on the patients, monitor the conditions closely, performs assessments as they should, and administer medications on time. There will be a reduction in errors, patient complications, mortality, nurse fatigue and nurse burnout (Curtan, 2016). While improving patient satisfaction and nurse job satisfaction. This allows the principle of non-maleficence, do no harm, to be carried out correctly. A study mentioned in Scientific America showed that after California passed a law in 2014 to regulate hospital staffing and set a minimum of nurse to patient ratios, there was an improvement in patient care. Including lower rates of post-surgery infection, falls and other micro emergencies in hospitals (Jacobson,
Nursing is the #1 healthcare job amongst women that goes unnoticed when comparing to a doctor in the field of medicine. Nurses are there when a baby is being born, a child is in need, the ones the military calls on when a soldier is injured, and even alongside people on their deathbed. Yet, they still get treated as though their role/duty is not enough to be equivalent to a doctor’s role in the hospital. Although, the doctor is the muscle of his or her staff nurses are the legs and arms in every situation. Nurses give so much of themselves and time every day to people and get paid not enough. Nurses should be paid the same as doctors because they hold the same level of degrees/knowledge as doctors, they deserve more equality, and they are the backbone a doctor leans on.
Spetz, Joanne, and Sara Adams. "How Can Employment-Based Benefits Help the Nurse Shortage?" Health Affairs 25 (Jan.-Feb. 2006): 212-218. ProQuest . Ithaca Coll. Lib., Ithaca, NY. 10 Dec. 2012. .
Nevidjon, B., & Erickson, J. (31 January, 2001). The Nursing Shortage: Solutions for the Short
...re opportunities for nurses. Today’s demand for skilled nurses significantly outweighs the supply of such professionals. In an economically challenged background, all nations are actively looking for ways to change healthcare by expanding value in the care delivery systems. For nurses, everyone’s role adds value to the patients, the communities, the countries, and the world. The development and evolution of nursing is associated with the historical influences throughout different ages. The study of the history of nursing helps understand the issues that confronted the profession. It also allows nurses to gain the appreciation they deserve for playing the role of caring for patients during wartime. The role of the profession has played an important part of history. Through the history, each nurse has efficiently established the achievements of the history of nursing.
The United States offers some of the most established and advanced health care in the world. Practitioners and administers are constantly trying to improve the quality of care received by patients in the US. Data has consistently shown that the presence of a registered nurse contributes directly to positive patient outcomes (Cho et al., 2016). The debate across the country, however, concerns the precise number of staff required to provide safe, high-quality care. The issue of safe staffing is one that is of great importance to all involved in the delivery of health care across the country.
... & Abrahamson, K. (2009). A critical examination of the U.S. nursing shortage: contributing factors, public policy implications. Nursing Forum, 44(4), 235-244. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6198.2009.00149.x
During World War I and World War II, America called upon thousands of women to become nurses for their country to help in hospitals and overseas units. America’s calling was considered a success and by the end of World War I, 23,000 nurses served in Army and Navy cantonments and hospitals, 10,000 served overseas, and 260 either died in the line of duty or from the influenza pandemic (“Nursing Reflections”, 2000, p. 18). In the early 1930s, nurses experienced the devastation of the depression. Families were very poor and unable to feed themselves let alone pay for a nursing visit. This caused many nurses to seek work elsewhere. Nurses who were lucky to be empl...
The prolonged shortage of skilled nursing personnel has been a serious concern to the healthcare industry, and this shortage has impacted the quality of care delivery. In addition, nursing turnover has also exacerbated the problem of nursing shortage. Nursing shortage has been blamed on many nurses retiring and less younger nurses joining the occupation. There is also an increase in life expectancy (baby boomers) leading an increase in both physical and mental ailment with subsequent demand in nursing care. Nurses are also leaving nursing profession because of inadequate staffing, tense work environment, negative press about the profession, and inflexible work schedules. Even though nursing is a promising career and offers job security, the
Thousands of nurses throughout the nation are exhausted and overwhelmed due to their heavy workload. The administrators do not staff the units properly; therefore, they give each nurse more patients to care for to compensate for the lack of staff. There are several reasons to why
Gordon, S., Buchanan, J., & Bretherton, T. (2008). Safety in Numbers: Nurse-to-Patient Ratios and the Future of Health Care (pp. 1-2). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
One of the issues involving health care and the aging population is majority of health profession employees being a percentage of the aging population. With the knowledge of health profession employees being a factor in the aging population puts a strain on doctors and nurses that come into the workforce after ones have retired. The fewer employees there are, the greater the work load will become on one person. It is imperative for each nurse in a unit to have four patients maximum. Giving more responsibility to one employee does not make the situation less of a challenge, it more so puts people’s lives at a greater risk of danger. The new demands placed on the health care system for health services will not only include a need for more workers, but also require changes in the way services are provided.
Factors such as, heavy workloads, stress, job dissatisfaction, frequent medical errors, and intention of leaving the job are all common for nurses to experience, especially during the nursing shortage crisis. Not only do the nurses suffer during a shortage, but the patients ' health outcomes suffer even more. For instance, there are higher rates of infectious diseases and adverse patient outcomes, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), upper gastrointestinal bleeding, shock, pneumonia, prolonged hospital stays, failure to rescue, and mortality. As a result, this leads to higher re-admission rates for patients. Furthermore, high patient-to-nurse ratios cause heavy workloads due to an inadequate supply of nurses, an increased demand for nurses, a reduction in staffing and an increase in overtime, and a shortened length of stay for patients. Without the heavy workloads that nurses have to endure on a daily basis, there would more time for nurses to communicate more effectively with physicians, insurance companies, and patients and their families. Those heavy workloads are the result of hospitals reducing the nursing staff and implementing mandatory overtime policies just to meet unexpectedly high demands. Unfortunately, the nursing shortage has affected nurses ' mental and physical health. For example, the most common health concerns for nurses include cardiovascular health, occupational injuries and illnesses, and emotional and physical exhaustion. Therefore, safe-staffing ratios/levels have to become the main
Bedside nurses want to change staffing levels to assure that they have enough time to both keep up with the constantly evolving health care and to provide safe patient care. Yet, healthcare employers consider that reducing nurse patient ratio is an unnecessary expense that has not been proven to improve quality of patient care (Unruh, 2008). Employers emphasize that raising nursing staffing level is not cost-effective. In fact, in accordance with ANA’s report (2013), a study, in the Journal of Health Care Finance, confirmed that reducing patient-nurse ratios increased hospital costs, but did not lower their profitability. Higher hospital costs were attributed to wages and benefits allocated to newly hired nurses. Yet, according to Cimiotti et.al (20112), it is more costly for hospitals to not invest money on nursing.
Many people believe that nurses are overworked and it is true. Nurses that are overwork is no just in the United States but in serval other countries as well. They problem has been going on for several years and many wonder if there is any solution to fix it. OIverworked is defined as exhausted with too much work. Throughout the paper is a few reason that nurses are overworked.