Shortage of Nurses in the United States - Research Paper Example

? Shortage of Nurses in the United s Task Shortage of nurses is a grim concern that needs immediate short-term andlong-term solutions. The shortage has been experienced in the past and is still expected to loom. Little measures have been taken so far to tackle the problem. However, more effort needs to be established, especially by the government to ensure this problem ceases. To do this, the government will have to look into the causes of the problem in order to understand how to go about it. Shortage of Nurses in the United States Nurses are supremely indispensable in any society, whether inside or outside medical facilities. Inside medical facilities such as nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and schools among others, they play vital roles that ensures smooth daily running of such facilities. Failure to provide their services would lead to unimaginable adversity. For any medical facility to prevail, therefore, it is necessary that there be nurses, more than enough to carry out efficiently the duties delegated upon them. Despite the importance of nurses in medical facilities, the U.S healthcare facilities are facing a scarcity of nurses. The shortage level is on the rise annually and both long term and short-term solutions need to be addressed. This paper seeks to explore the existing shortage of nurses in the U.S. It analyses causes of such effects, then concludes by giving a summary of the research and the recommendations that might help solve the problem. Background In the 19th century when nursing was in its early stages in the US, icons like Florence Nightingale facilitated the nursing movement to help alleviate the serious deficiency of nurses that threatened healthcare staff and patients. The deficiency is still present to date, as can be witnessed in the past ten years where several U.S. healthcare facilities are facing acute shortage of nurses, a clear indication that the output of nurses is not meeting demand from the growing population. The shortage situation Although healthcare facilities in the U.S. are facing a deficiency of nurses, a situation that can compromise the quality of services offered in these facilities, many students are being denied admission into nursing schools. The resultant deficit has attracted the White House and political elite’s attention as the need to import foreign staff intensifies. Lois Capps, a Democrat U.S. Representative and a former nurse was quoted saying, “Nurses deliver healthcare” and that there cannot be meaningful healthcare with the deficit of nurses. The American Association of College of Nursing issued a report that 116,000 positions of registered nurses in U.S. healthcare facilities are vacant while 100,000 jobs remain unoccupied in nursing homes. The deficiency is anticipated to deteriorate, as the numbers of the elderly is on the rise hence need for more nurses. According to Robert Wood, a staff at the Association, "The nursing shortage is not driven by a lack of interest in nursing careers. In 2008, over 50,000 competent applicants were denied admission into nursing programs, including 6000 who applied for postgraduate of doctorate levels (Dunham, 2009, p.3). In ‘The Future of Nursing’ released in 2010, the Institute of Medicine called for an increment of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and nurses with doctorate degrees as the current levels of this staff stands at 50% instead of over 80%. The Health Resources and Services Administration in April 2006 projected that the deficiency of nurses nationwide would increase by 2020 to over a million nurses. In the report, ‘What is Behind HRSA’s Projected Supply, Demand and Shortage of Registered Nurses?’ all states in the U.S. will witness the deficiency. Currently, over 30 states are facing a shortage, as there are no nurses to fill in the positions. In a statement published by Journal of the American Medical Association in November 26, 2008, Dr. Peter Buerhaus, a professor of nursing was quoted saying, “Over the next 20 years, the average age of the registered nurses will increase and the size of the workforce will plateau as large numbers of registered nurses retire. Because demand for registered nurses is expected to increase during this time, a large and prolonged shortage of nurses is expected to hit the US in the latter half of the next decade” (Herbst, 2007, p.2). Over 30, 000 more nurses are therefore required to be graduating annually in order to meet the healthcare deficit. Causes of shortage of nurses Shortage of nurses in the U.S. is attributed by various factors including poor remuneration, low number of the student intake in school faculties, aging workforce and poor working conditions such as overworking that makes nurses shift their focus to other forms of employment. Although nurses are of essence in healthcare facilities and although there is still demand for more, their wages remain questionably low. Several explanations such as high costs of hospital maintenance and reimbursement policies by insurance companies are given to cover the questions. Entry of overseas nurses into the U.S. workforce is said to be a short-term solution, but it hugely contributes to the issue of low wages as it prevents high remuneration that would have encouraged the U.S. citizens to join the field. Nurses’ remuneration therefore remains low. Dr. Peter Buerhaus says, "Better pay would signify to society that nursing is a promising career. It's a critical factor in building the workforce of the future." Shortage of nursing lecturers in educational institutions is another factor that limits the number of nurses available in health facilities. A minimal number of students get admitted into nursing school faculties due to low nursing staff available. The American Association of College of Nursing issued the ‘2010-2011 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing’ which indicates that over 67,000 applicants to nursing schools in the U.S. were turned away in 2010 from nursing programs and baccalaureate programs on grounds of scarcity of faculty, funds and clinical locations. Demographic factors have also contributed to the shortage of nurses in the country and are likely to worsen the situation in the near future due to the baby boomers that are expected to turn 60 and beyond. Demographic changes are likely to minimize access to healthcare facilities if the nursing staff is not increased proportionately to the increasing number of the elderly population. Many nurses are forced to leave the profession due to poor working conditions such as overworking. Because of the shortage of nursing staff, the ratio of nurse to patient is likely to be imbalanced. The available nursing staff is therefore strained by the workload faced daily and this could lift their stress level. This situation leads to job dissatisfaction and as a result, nurses quit the profession for less strenuous alternatives. Resignation of newly appointed nurses is another factor causing the shortage. Nearly 13% of newly appointed registered nurses alter their jobs in less than a year, while 37% asserted that they could change given the chance. The high nurse turnover creates a deficit in the field that leads to an increment in the ratio between nurses and patients in healthcare facilities. Other factors that contribute to the shortage include insufficient worker retention motivation, insufficient staffing ratios within healthcare centers and lack of appointment programs for recently qualified nurses. Impact caused by shortage of nurses Shortage of nurses has several effects. Rise in workload due to large ration difference between nurse and patient. Nurses are likely to get overworked and as a result getting stressed and thereafter looking for alternative work. Poor delivery of services as nurses gets overstretched. Fatigue is then likely to increase their chances of making errors, a factor that could contribute to risk patient safety. Poor staffing of nurses increases mortality rate of patients up to 6%, when compared to fully staffed healthcare facilities. In a research published by the Journal of the American Medical Association on the 23/30 October 2002, an increase of nurses at the bedside is likely to reduce cases of patient mortality. Shortage of nurses means shortage of nurses in school faculty. This would result in decline in enrolment of qualified nursing applicants. When the number of nurses is low, the ratio nurse to patient gap tends to rise. This increases the likelihood of spreading contagious diseases to both the staff and patients. A research conducted by Buerhaus demonstrates that there are 6,700 patient deaths and four million days in a healthcare facility annually, which, if the number of nurses is increased, could be minimized. Increment in the number of nurses is likely to reduce cases of patient deaths, spread of infections, reduction in hospital stays and reduction of incidents related with failure to rescue a patient. Stratagems to tackling the nursing deficiency Nursing deficiencies can be constant or sporadic depending on the existing rate of patients in need of medical care. Retention and increase of nurses in healthcare facilities are imperative ways of achieving long-term solutions to the problem of nursing deficiency. More nurses can be recruited by first making the nursing carrier enticing, especially to new nursing staff in order to neutralize the soaring average age of registered nurses. Moreover, financial incentives such as bonus grants can entice more nurses into the field. Nursing programs in school faculties should be funded to provide for more teaching staff, classroom space and improvement of infrastructure. States should also collaborate to address the problem. Partnership may include standardization of educational level in nursing, for example, requiring the states setting up similar standards for admission into graduate nursing and baccalaureate programs. To minimize deficiency of nurses in healthcare facilities, the government should be committed to increase the number of nurses nationally, and this pertains to financial commitment. Obama signed a bill to tackle the deficiency of health workers, including nursing shortage. Dick Durbin and Lowey Nita, a Senator and a Representative have also proposed measures of federal funding toward nursing school faculties (Dunham). Long-term solutions need to be sought to solve the deficiency problem. Leadership, starting from the political elite to healthcare facilities’ officials has to ensure quality medical care is provided. The ratio between nurse and patient should not be high to prevent workloads that could lead to increased patient mortalities. Increase in the number of nurses would also ensure quality services offered by nurses. Financial aid should also be granted to qualified applicants to nursing faculties to increase enrolment. This is a long-term solution. Retention and recruitment programs should be initiated to increase the nursing staff. Conclusion It is evident that the U.S. faces and is still facing a looming shortage of registered nurses within its healthcare centers. The deficiency is seen to threaten not only the quality of medical care but also increase the patient mortality rates. The problem is contributed to by various factors such as low wages, importation of labor force, work overload and lack of incentives that in turn force workers to look for alternative jobs. The governments should intervene in solving the shortage by committing funds to various departments such faculties to ensure increment of nursing staff and healthcare facilities to ensure retention and recruitment of nurses, and improvement of infrastructure. References Dunham, W. (2009). U.S. health care system pinched by nursing shortage. Reuters: Washington. Retrieved on November 1, 2011 from: Herbst, M. (2007, August 28). A critical shortage of nurses. Bloomberg Business week. Retrieved on November 1, 2011 from: Read More