Nursing Shortage Impact on Healthcare
Nursing Shortage Impact on Healthcare
Tracey Simmons
Aquinas College
Department of Nursing; RN-to-BSN Program
November 13, 2012
Nursing Shortage Impact on Healthcare Dating back to the 1940s, the healthcare industry has realized that there is a need for more nurses. The increased demand for nurses was mainly driven by the casualties of World War II (Mahaffey, 2002). The question of how to address the nursing shortage back then was answered a decade later with the Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) (Mahaffey, 2002). Originally, nurses were a product of hospital-based training programs that restricted participation to young, unmarried participants. A shorter path to a nursing degree was made possible by the emergence of junior and community colleges and government funding for nursing education (Mahaffey, 2002). The measures taken to attract more nursing students were successful, and for the time being the nursing shortage was relieved by increased graduation rates. Once the federal dollars ran out, the graduation rates began to fall again and the need to address the nursing shortage returned (Mahaffey, 2002). Today, the scarcity of nurses is fueled by medical advances that lengthen life spans, population explosion, and an increase in the types of medical facilities. There are more people, people are living longer, and there are more healthcare facilities other than hospitals that require a registered nurse (RN) workforce. An emphasis has been put on the delivery of quality patient care due to research and evidence-based practice studies. It has been determined that quality patient care improves patient outcomes and the standard of practice has been elevated to reflect those findings. Maintaining quality nursing care requires the RN to perform tasks in accordance with evidenced-based practice (EBP), to document thoroughly and accurately, to administer medications correctly, and to make ongoing assessments of patient health status
Tracey Simmons
Aquinas College
Department of Nursing; RN-to-BSN Program
November 13, 2012
Nursing Shortage Impact on Healthcare Dating back to the 1940s, the healthcare industry has realized that there is a need for more nurses. The increased demand for nurses was mainly driven by the casualties of World War II (Mahaffey, 2002). The question of how to address the nursing shortage back then was answered a decade later with the Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) (Mahaffey, 2002). Originally, nurses were a product of hospital-based training programs that restricted participation to young, unmarried participants. A shorter path to a nursing degree was made possible by the emergence of junior and community colleges and government funding for nursing education (Mahaffey, 2002). The measures taken to attract more nursing students were successful, and for the time being the nursing shortage was relieved by increased graduation rates. Once the federal dollars ran out, the graduation rates began to fall again and the need to address the nursing shortage returned (Mahaffey, 2002). Today, the scarcity of nurses is fueled by medical advances that lengthen life spans, population explosion, and an increase in the types of medical facilities. There are more people, people are living longer, and there are more healthcare facilities other than hospitals that require a registered nurse (RN) workforce. An emphasis has been put on the delivery of quality patient care due to research and evidence-based practice studies. It has been determined that quality patient care improves patient outcomes and the standard of practice has been elevated to reflect those findings. Maintaining quality nursing care requires the RN to perform tasks in accordance with evidenced-based practice (EBP), to document thoroughly and accurately, to administer medications correctly, and to make ongoing assessments of patient health status
References: AMN Healthcare, Inc. (2011). 2011 Survey of Registered Nurses: Job Satisfaction and Career Plans Auerbach, D. I., Buerhaus, P. I., Staiger, D. O. (2011). Registered nurse supply grows faster than projected amid surge in new entrants ages 23-26 Aya Healthcare. (2012). Nursing Shortage: A Study of the Nursing Shortage in America. Retrieved from http://www.ayatravelnursingjobs.com/nursingshortage/ Buerhaus, P. I., (2012). What will happen to the nursing workforce in the years ahead? Tar Heel Nurse, 74(3), 10-11. Sauer, A. (2011). J & J supports nurses with heartwarming campaign. Retrieved from: http://www. Six new nursing education initiatives announced in Pennsylvania. (2006, March 20). Advance for Nurses. Springer, R. (2008). Disruptive behavior-patient safety at risk. Plastic Surgery Nurse, 28(4), 213-215. The Truth About Nursing. (2012). Magnet status: What it is, what it is not, and what it could be. Retrieved from: http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/faq/magnet.html