The nursing shortage and what you need to know
The ongoing nursing shortage is a big problem in today’s healthcare field. Many issues in the healthcare system stem from the lack of competent nurses that can care for patients properly. This is what is going on with the nursing shortage and what you need to know about it.
How bad is the nursing shortage?
Everywhere in the world, there is a current crisis of nurses. Nurses are in very high demand today and are much valued.
It will become so bad that according to the American Journal of Medical Quality, in a report titled the United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast, there will be a shortage of about 923,629 registered nurses.
With that said, there are a lot of factors and reasons behind the nursing shortage today.
Factors that affect the nursing shortage
Greater demand for nursing services
In today’s world, nursing services are in extremely high demand. This demand is seen not only in hospitals but also in other healthcare institutions. Places such as dialysis centers and homes for the aged are looking for more nurses.
The recent pandemic has also led to a rise in at-home nursing services. Private nurses are becoming more and more common as time goes by.
The greatest demand for nursing services will stem from those 65 years old and above, known as the Baby Boomers. As this population ages, more nurses will be needed to care for senior citizens.
Caring for them will require complex and intensive care. Thus the need for more nurses that have experience and can cope with the demands.
It will come to the point that nursing schools cannot produce enough graduates to keep up with the demand for nursing services, leading to a nursing shortage.
Undervalued and underpaid nurses
Many nurses are choosing to branch out into different career paths. This is usually because nurses are both undervalued and underpaid.
Nurses are the backbone of the hospital. They are the ones responsible for giving patients the proper primary care needed.
Despite this, many nurses are not paid a fair wage for their hard work and dedication. This can lead to burnout and high turnover rates among nurses.
These can negatively impact patient care. It can also affect the hospital’s reputation and contribute to the nursing shortage.
Several times, nurses have lobbied for a higher salary suitable to the amount of mental and physical effort they give their job.
The practice of underpaying nurses can make it challenging to attract and retain qualified nurses. This only makes the existing shortage of nurses in many areas much worse.
Nursing burnout
Nursing burnout can be a product of many things and affects almost all nurses. Being a nurse is complex, and the work environment can be harsh. It is hugely taxing in all aspects for the nurse.
Nursing burnout is one of the most common problems that lead to nursing shortages. Burnout can cause nurses to leave the profession altogether, leading to a need for more experienced nurses.
It can also cause nurses to take more time off work and decrease the number of available nurses on any given day. Additionally, it decreases job satisfaction. Coupled with more awareness of these topics, nursing burnout can discourage young people from nursing.
The most important aspect of this problem is that it can lead to an increase in medical errors and a decrease in the quality of patient care.
Great strides are being made today to acknowledge nurses’ mental health and provide them with a work-life balance conducive to their overall health.
The aging of the nursing workforce
Experienced nurses are retiring soon, and some of them already have. This means that only the freshly graduated nurses that have less experience will be stepping up.
As more and more experienced nurses retire due to aging, it will be hard to fill in the needed nurses. There is a higher demand for nurses than there are nursing students and new nurses to replace the old ones.
An estimation states that by 2024, there will be around 700,000 nurses that will retire or leave the nursing field.
Lacking nursing faculty and facilities
Many nursing schools have had to turn away students because of a lack of nursing faculty or facilities. Nursing schools require much maintenance and upkeep, especially if they offer state-of-the-art training.
Nursing faculty are also in demand and yet experiencing a shortage. These factors combine to produce fewer nursing graduates than are needed at this time.
The nursing shortage: good thing or bad thing?
For nurses, this means that there will be a lot of job opportunities coming their way. Buckle up and be prepared to be in high demand these coming years. This demand rises even more if you are experienced or have a specialty. Reforms are also underway to provide solutions for the problems leading to nursing shortages. Nursing is a challenging but lucrative and fulfilling profession that keeps you on your toes.