The nursing shortage is a major issue that has been facing our nation for quite some time. Two articles that I discovered while researching this topic are The Nursing Shortage: A Crisis in Health Care by Georges C. Benjamin and Influences on our Perspective Nursing Shortage by Sarah Elley. Although they both provide me with great insights about the topic, I will be using Benjamin’s article more because he is a more qualified writer, it is also focused on the United States nursing shortage specifically, and it provides better references focused around my topic of research. Elley worked her way up the health care chain for nine years when she decided to write Influences on our Perspective Nursing Shortage. Elley was pursuing her Masters of Nursing when she composed this article. In the article it says she received the Cuplan Education Award for nursing care, education, research …show more content…
Elley (2016) does mention that even though her focus is on New Zealand, the nursing shortage is a worldwide problem and many of the issues correlate with other areas (p.2). I understand how this article could still be of some use considering the information is relatively the same, but for my research paper I am focusing on the United States mainly. Thus, most of the information in her article will be irrelevant to my overall topic for the final paper. This creates an automatic tally for Benjamin’s article to be a better suit for my intended purpose. The Nursing Shortage: A Crisis in Health Care acknowledges the important of fixing the shortage here in the United States and provides no information outside of our nation (Benjamin, 2000, p.1). The fact that Benjamin’s article doesn’t stray far from my intended content better supports my decision to see The Nursing Shortage: A Crisis in Health Care as a more helpful
A staunch supporter in the development of nursing as a profession, Palmer helped launch and was the first editor of the Journal of Nursing in 1900 (Black, 2014). She spent 20 years as editor-in-chief of the periodical and wrote many editorials that helped to guide and shape the nursing profession. She viewed herself as a champion of the individual nurse but ultimately assisted in providing the foundation of the profession of nursing (Sophia French Palmer, n.d.). Palmer’s ideas and writings support Kelly’s Criteria of a profession by supporting the thought that a profession is consists of “a special body of knowledge that is continually enlarged through research” (Black,
Morkes, Andrew Yehling, Carol Walsh, Nora and Walsh, Laura. Ferguson’s Careers in Focus: Nursing. Second Ed. Chicago: Ferguson Pub., 2003. Print
Daniel P. Wright, K. M. (2010). Strategies for Addressing the Nursing Shortage: Coordinated Decision Making and Workforce Flexibility. Decision Sciences , 373-401.
There are several factors that are considered the causes of the nursing shortage. Literature suggests that the shortage is linked to factors related to current population trends and the nature of the health care e...
In most aspects of life the saying “less is always more” may ring true; however when it comes to providing quality care to patients, less only creates problems which can lead to a decrease in patient’s quality of life as well as nurse’s satisfaction with their jobs. The massive shortage of nurses throughout the United States has gotten attention from some of the most prestigious schools, news media and political leaders. Nurses are being burnt out from their jobs, they are being overworked and overlooked. New nurses are not being properly trained, and old nurses are on their way to retirement. All the while the rate of patient admissions is on the rise. Nurses are reporting lower satisfaction in their job positions and hospital retention rates are at an all-time low, conversely this is affecting all patients’ quality of care. As stated in the article Addressing The Nurse Shortage To Improve The Quality Of Patient Care “According to an Institute of Medicine report, Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals providing direct patient care in hospitals, and the quality of care for hospital patients is strongly linked to the performance of nursing staff”.
"Projected Supply, Demand, and Shortages of Registered Nurses: 2000-2020." American Health Care Association. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Jul 2002. Web. 10 Mar 2012.
...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 nursing shortage is divided into four different categories. The four categories are as follows; "willing nurse" shortage, funding or perceived funding shortage, shortage of understanding that nurses are needed to deliver care, and nurse education and empowerment shortages (What is the nursing shortage and why does it exist?., 18 October, 2007). To be able to repair this major problem, all four segments of shortages need to be addressed. The first nursing shortage, A "willing nurse" shortage, is the simple fact of not enough supply to fill the demand of nursing positions. This shortage occurs either because there are simply not enough nurses to fill the open positions, or because experienced nurses are opting out of nursing and the willingness to provide care due to the current occupational environment. The second nursing shortage is the funding or perceived funding shortage. This shortage is merely due to nurses not feeling as if they are being compensat...
... & 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
The need for quality nurses nationwide continues to be a topic of hot debate in the healthcare field. As Americans continue to age and as the elderly population increases due to medical advancements, the need to sustain and retain the nursing workforce will be an area that is intently watched and regulated. According to the Department of Health & Human Services (2013), there was a 24.1% registered nurse (RN) workforce growth in the 2000s. None-the-less, the Bureau of Labor (2014), projects that sixteen states are going to experience an RN shortage by 2025 and it was stated that,
The nursing shortage most likely does not mean a great deal to people until they are in the care of a nurse. The United States is in a severe nursing shortage with no relief in sight due to many factors compounding the problem and resulting in compromised patient care and nurse burnout. Nursing shortages have been experienced in the past by the United States and have been overcome with team effort. However, the current shortage is proving to be the most complex and great strides are being made to defeat the crisis before it becomes too difficult to change. Researchers anticipate that by 2010, the United States will need almost one million more registered nurses than will be available (Cherry & Jacob, 2005, p. 30).
Since the 1990’s, the interest in nursing and the profession as a whole has decreased dramatically and is still expected to do so over the next 10-15 years according to some researchers. With this nursing shortage, many factors are affected. Organizations have to face challenges of low staffing, higher costs for resources, recruiting and reserving of registered nurses, among liability issues as well. Some of the main issues arising from this nurse shortage are the impact of quality and continuity of care, organizational costs, the effect it has on nursing staff, and etc. However, this not only affects an organization and community, but affects the nurses the same. Nurses are becoming overwhelmed and are questioning the quality of care that each patient deserves. This shortage is not an issue that is to be taken lightly. The repercussions that are faced by both nurses and the organization are critical. Therefore, state funding should be implemented to private hospitals in order to resolve the shortage of nurses. State funds will therefore, relieve the overwhelming burdens on the staff, provide a safe and stress free environment for the patient, and allow appropriate funds needed to keep the facility and organization operational.
The nursing shortage is a growing issue in the United States. The problem began in the 1930s, as there was increased hospital use. Nursing shortage resulted in many hospitals to close beds or hire temporary nurses, which is expensive with the aim of filling the gap and providing less optimal care to the patients (Chan et al., 2013). The issue is not that individuals are not going into the field of nursing. It is the fact that existing nurses are not furthering their education and becoming educators. Shortsightedness and retention concerning retention and recruitment contributed to the beginning of a shortage of nurses in the late 1990s, and the shortfall has lasted for long. Additionally, the lifespan of human beings has increased
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
Solutions for the nursing shortage beyond implementing safe nurse staffing ratios include: ongoing long-term workforce planning; institution of an education and practice system to promote more equitable compensation in the health care community based on a better understanding of the educational preparation required for different health care roles; implementation of specific strategies to retain experienced nurses in the provision of direct patient care, investigating the potential for using technological advances to enhance the capacity of a reduced nursing workforce; and advocate for increased nursing education funding under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act and other publicly funded initiatives to improve