Influx of Out-of-Region Patients Exacerbates Nursing Shortage
Purpose and introduction The issue of the nursing shortage is not a new one. In the last decade the media has mentioned the nursing shortage and other problems faced by the nursing workforce. The article chosen for this paper is titled “Influx of out-of-region patients exacerbates nursing shortage” and it is found in volume 32 of Crain’s Cleveland Business magazine (Magaw, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to mention the issues in the article and compare them to the nursing trends discussed in the literature required for this course.
Summary of an Article This article describes that the nursing shortage in Ohio is going to happen faster than expected due to individuals coming in from other regions, other states and from other countries to receive health care. This phenomenon will cause a bigger demand for nurses than the supply can provide. This problem is referred by the article as “the perfect storm”. Other variables affecting the nursing shortage are that people are living longer and the need for the expansion of nursing programs. In this article it is estimated that the Ohio nursing shortage might be 2,000 nurses by 2015 and 4,000 nurses by 2020.
Relationship of the issue to nursing workforce trends This article mentions several problems or issues in nursing such as; problems with supply and demand, nursing shortage, and the aging population. Nurses make up the largest number of healthcare professionals. The current supply is predicted to decrease as nurses retire and fewer prospects graduate from nursing programs. Due to this prediction some healthcare organizations have chosen to decrease the use of RN’s in order to reduce costs and in turn affecting quality of care. As mentioned in the article nursing schools are expected to think about expanding their nursing programs. Hoover (2007) mentions that one important challenge in nursing is attracting new students. In order to achieve this it will be required to improve wages and benefits,
Summary of an Article This article describes that the nursing shortage in Ohio is going to happen faster than expected due to individuals coming in from other regions, other states and from other countries to receive health care. This phenomenon will cause a bigger demand for nurses than the supply can provide. This problem is referred by the article as “the perfect storm”. Other variables affecting the nursing shortage are that people are living longer and the need for the expansion of nursing programs. In this article it is estimated that the Ohio nursing shortage might be 2,000 nurses by 2015 and 4,000 nurses by 2020.
Relationship of the issue to nursing workforce trends This article mentions several problems or issues in nursing such as; problems with supply and demand, nursing shortage, and the aging population. Nurses make up the largest number of healthcare professionals. The current supply is predicted to decrease as nurses retire and fewer prospects graduate from nursing programs. Due to this prediction some healthcare organizations have chosen to decrease the use of RN’s in order to reduce costs and in turn affecting quality of care. As mentioned in the article nursing schools are expected to think about expanding their nursing programs. Hoover (2007) mentions that one important challenge in nursing is attracting new students. In order to achieve this it will be required to improve wages and benefits,
References: Aiken, L.H. (2007). Nurse staffing impact on organizational outcomes. In D. J. Mason, J. K. Leavitt & M.W. Chaffee (Eds.), Policy & politics in nursing and health care (pp.550-559). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc. Hoover, K.W. (2007). The nursing workforce: Supply and Demand. . In D. J. Mason, J. K. Leavitt & M.W. Chaffee (Eds.), Policy & politics in nursing and health care (pp.509-518). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc. Huston, C.J. (2010). Professional issues in nursing: Challenges and opportunities (2dn ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Magaw, T. (2011). Influx of out-of-region patients exacerbates nursing shortage. Crain’s Cleveland Business. Retrieved November 11, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ ehost/results?sid=a26d023c-1087-4ee9-93c4-5e372ec544a6%40sessionmgr13&vid=2 &hid=9&bquery=(Influx+AND+of+AND+out-of-region+AND+patients+AND+ exacerbates+AND+nursing+AND+shortage)&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGNwaWQmY3VzdGlkPXM2MjU1OTc3JmRiPWY1aCZ0eXBlPTAmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl Spetz, J. (2007). California nurse staffing ratios. In D. J. Mason, J. K. Leavitt & M.W. Chaffee (Eds.), Policy & politics in nursing and health care (pp.518-527). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc.