Nursing Shortage Research Paper
Cause and Effects of the Nursing Shortage
Abstract The nursing shortage is a growing concern for the nation. The aging population is causing more demand for qualified healthcare professionals. At the same time, healthcare professionals are retiring faster than they can be replaced. This shortage of nursing professionals is causing more overtime work, which creates more nursing errors. Scholarships and grants are being awarded to students to try and generate more nursing professionals. Many facilities are offering tuition reimbursement incentives to help lure nursing professionals. Many facilities are also offering sign-on bonuses. These incentives show how serious the increasing need for qualified nursing professionals is becoming. …show more content…
Nursing Crisis There are 2.9 million registered nurses in The United States (The Center for Nursing Advocacy). While that may seem like an enormous amount of nurses, statistics show that by the end of 2010, the United States will be short 275,000 nurses (The Center for Nursing Advocacy)! There are several reasons why the nursing shortage has become so abundant. The aging population plays a large role in the absence of so many nurses. Baby-boomers are coming into retirement so an enormous amount of nurses are retiring. The aging population also creates a need for more advanced and higher quality healthcare. Another factor is a lack of qualified nursing instructors and funding for educational institutions. The shortage directly results in over worked nurses leaving the profession. The shortage can cause over worked nurses to make mistakes. The lack of qualified healthcare workers is a serious situation and can have devastating results on patient care. The years between 1946 and 1964 are known as the baby boom years (About.com). During the baby boom, about 79 million babies were born when veterans came back from World War II (About.com). Many of the baby boomers became nurses. These highly skilled and hardened individuals have such a wealth of knowledge, but are nearing retirement age. The retirees are leaving hospitals and clinics, and there are not enough qualified workers to replace them. With all of the baby boomers retiring, the nursing shortage keeps increasing. As the 79 million baby boomers age, their healthcare needs increase. With the growing elder population, more nursing homes and long-term care facilities have come about. Since the year 2000, the demand for nurses in long-term care and extended care facilities has increased (Foundations of Nursing). As more and more of the elderly need assistance, the greater the shortage will grow. There are several routes of education that a nurse can take. A licensed Practical Nursing education takes about one year to complete, while a Bachelor of Science in Nursing takes about four years to complete. The need for nursing educators is increasing. This decreases the amount of students an educational institution can select to study nursing for each year. The number of nurses graduating every year does not compare to the hundreds of thousands nurses that are lacking.
Stress and Nursing Because there is not enough nursing professionals, nurses are forced to work overtime hours and extended shifts, which in return is causing nurses to leave the profession all together.
The nursing profession requires an individual to be alert, watchful, and prepared. They must monitor patients closely. Concentration and attentiveness declines when a nurse is overloaded with work. Nurses who become fatigued from the work overload can become a danger to themselves and their patients. Medication errors and pressure ulcers are common results from fatigued nurses. Medication errors happen a lot when a nurse loses the ability to concentrate and focus. Pressure ulcers are a result of poor nursing care which can be caused by fatigue. A nurse may be so fatigued by the end of her shift that she does not properly position a patient. Basic care is sometimes put on the back burner, or is delegated to less qualified staff. As well as providing basic nursing care, a nurse must also give report, check patients orders, medications, and labs, all in one shift! This leaves little time to create or maintain a relationship with a patient. Often times, nurses are assigned five or more patients to take care of in one shift. Nurses become stressed from the pressures of the job, and decide to leave the profession all
together.
Medication Errors One of the most common effects of the nursing shortage is medication errors. Several different drug names sound alike and look alike. Packaging on medications is often very similar. Drugs can be given in a wrong dose, wrong drug, or wrong route of administration (Institute for Medication Management). Unfortunately, these errors occur frequently. An estimated 770,000 patients are injured because of medication errors every year (Institution for Medication Management). Many of these errors happen as a result of fatigued nursing staff. According to a Joint Commission report, nursing shortages are responsible for nineteen percent of medical errors resulting in death or serious injury (Women’s Enews). One of the worst medical errors was due to a lack of staff. At a Kansas hospital, twenty ill patients were left in the hands of one nurse. Deedra Tolson, who was only 38, bled to death after having an emergency hysterectomy when the overwhelmed nurse who was taking care of her did not hear her cries for help (Women’s Enews). This death was a direct cause of an understaffed hospital. Another case of medical error pertains to 30-year-old Lisa Vitale. Lisa, who was pregnant, felt a shearing pain in her abdomen. Lisa rushed to the hospital in fear that something was wrong with her baby. After being admitted, her nurse misread her fetal monitoring strip and failed to notice that her baby was in serious distress. The baby was born hours later after a cesarean section (Women’s Enews). If the overworked nurse had read the strip correctly, she could have prevented the severe brain damage that the baby was born with. These stories prove how dangerous the nursing shortage can be to a patient’s life.
Injuries and Disease Control Nursing is physically challenging. It is not an easy job, and it is not for everyone. Back injuries are one of the most common injuries for nurses. Patients are often obese and are not mobile. The tugging and pulling of the patients takes a toll on a nurse’s back. Nurses are also at risk for infection and disease. With the use of standard precautions, a nurse can eliminate the risk of becoming ill. Many people simply do not want an occupation that puts them at risk for disease or injury.
Become a Nurse! Although there are several reasons why many people would not consider becoming a nurse, there are also several reasons to become a nurse! It is one of the most rewarding jobs. There is a desire to help people improve their lives. The miracle of seeing an ill person stand up out of bed and walk is why people become nurses. The ability to have a complete stranger confide in and trust you with their lives is why people become nurses. The satisfaction of knowing you have changed someone’s life is an indescribable feeling. With a slow economy, many jobs have been cut. With such an extreme shortage, nursing students will have work as soon as they graduate. Employment of nurses is expected to grow by twenty-two percent from 2008 to 2018 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The increase in employment will only increase the shortage so nurses will never be in need of work. Although the nursing occupation is driven by heart and passion, the pay is a bonus. The median annual wage of a registered nurse is near $62,450 (U.S. Bureau of labor statistics). Nursing is one of few occupations that only requires an associate’s degree, yet can make over $60,000 per year. There are several organizations that are trying to promote nursing as a career. Johnson and Johnson has enlisted the “become a nurse campaign”. This campaign is working to address the nursing shortage in the U.S. by recruiting new nurses and nurse faculty and helping to keep nurses currently in the profession (Johnson and Johnson, 1997). Johnson and Johnson recently started the “your future in nursing” training program. This program is a virtual computer game that places students in scenarios that a real life nurse would be placed in (Johnson and Johnson, 1997). This program helps the students learn in a risk-free and relaxed environment. It prepares the students without throwing them into real life scenarios. With campaigns such as these the nursing profession will continue to evolve.
Shortage continues to Increase The nursing shortage is a very serious crisis that our country is facing. The need for quality healthcare professionals is increasing every day. Scholarships and government funded programs are trying to lure students to pursue nursing. As more baby boomers retire, the demand for nursing professionals increases. The lack of nurses is causing medical errors and poor patient care. Several organizations are trying to help decrease the shortage by donating money to educational institutions. These organizations promote and encourage nursing degrees.
Abstract The nursing shortage is a growing concern for the nation. The aging population is causing more demand for qualified healthcare professionals. At the same time, healthcare professionals are retiring faster than they can be replaced. This shortage of nursing professionals is causing more overtime work, which creates more nursing errors. Scholarships and grants are being awarded to students to try and generate more nursing professionals. Many facilities are offering tuition reimbursement incentives to help lure nursing professionals. Many facilities are also offering sign-on bonuses. These incentives show how serious the increasing need for qualified nursing professionals is becoming. …show more content…
Nursing Crisis There are 2.9 million registered nurses in The United States (The Center for Nursing Advocacy). While that may seem like an enormous amount of nurses, statistics show that by the end of 2010, the United States will be short 275,000 nurses (The Center for Nursing Advocacy)! There are several reasons why the nursing shortage has become so abundant. The aging population plays a large role in the absence of so many nurses. Baby-boomers are coming into retirement so an enormous amount of nurses are retiring. The aging population also creates a need for more advanced and higher quality healthcare. Another factor is a lack of qualified nursing instructors and funding for educational institutions. The shortage directly results in over worked nurses leaving the profession. The shortage can cause over worked nurses to make mistakes. The lack of qualified healthcare workers is a serious situation and can have devastating results on patient care. The years between 1946 and 1964 are known as the baby boom years (About.com). During the baby boom, about 79 million babies were born when veterans came back from World War II (About.com). Many of the baby boomers became nurses. These highly skilled and hardened individuals have such a wealth of knowledge, but are nearing retirement age. The retirees are leaving hospitals and clinics, and there are not enough qualified workers to replace them. With all of the baby boomers retiring, the nursing shortage keeps increasing. As the 79 million baby boomers age, their healthcare needs increase. With the growing elder population, more nursing homes and long-term care facilities have come about. Since the year 2000, the demand for nurses in long-term care and extended care facilities has increased (Foundations of Nursing). As more and more of the elderly need assistance, the greater the shortage will grow. There are several routes of education that a nurse can take. A licensed Practical Nursing education takes about one year to complete, while a Bachelor of Science in Nursing takes about four years to complete. The need for nursing educators is increasing. This decreases the amount of students an educational institution can select to study nursing for each year. The number of nurses graduating every year does not compare to the hundreds of thousands nurses that are lacking.
Stress and Nursing Because there is not enough nursing professionals, nurses are forced to work overtime hours and extended shifts, which in return is causing nurses to leave the profession all together.
The nursing profession requires an individual to be alert, watchful, and prepared. They must monitor patients closely. Concentration and attentiveness declines when a nurse is overloaded with work. Nurses who become fatigued from the work overload can become a danger to themselves and their patients. Medication errors and pressure ulcers are common results from fatigued nurses. Medication errors happen a lot when a nurse loses the ability to concentrate and focus. Pressure ulcers are a result of poor nursing care which can be caused by fatigue. A nurse may be so fatigued by the end of her shift that she does not properly position a patient. Basic care is sometimes put on the back burner, or is delegated to less qualified staff. As well as providing basic nursing care, a nurse must also give report, check patients orders, medications, and labs, all in one shift! This leaves little time to create or maintain a relationship with a patient. Often times, nurses are assigned five or more patients to take care of in one shift. Nurses become stressed from the pressures of the job, and decide to leave the profession all
together.
Medication Errors One of the most common effects of the nursing shortage is medication errors. Several different drug names sound alike and look alike. Packaging on medications is often very similar. Drugs can be given in a wrong dose, wrong drug, or wrong route of administration (Institute for Medication Management). Unfortunately, these errors occur frequently. An estimated 770,000 patients are injured because of medication errors every year (Institution for Medication Management). Many of these errors happen as a result of fatigued nursing staff. According to a Joint Commission report, nursing shortages are responsible for nineteen percent of medical errors resulting in death or serious injury (Women’s Enews). One of the worst medical errors was due to a lack of staff. At a Kansas hospital, twenty ill patients were left in the hands of one nurse. Deedra Tolson, who was only 38, bled to death after having an emergency hysterectomy when the overwhelmed nurse who was taking care of her did not hear her cries for help (Women’s Enews). This death was a direct cause of an understaffed hospital. Another case of medical error pertains to 30-year-old Lisa Vitale. Lisa, who was pregnant, felt a shearing pain in her abdomen. Lisa rushed to the hospital in fear that something was wrong with her baby. After being admitted, her nurse misread her fetal monitoring strip and failed to notice that her baby was in serious distress. The baby was born hours later after a cesarean section (Women’s Enews). If the overworked nurse had read the strip correctly, she could have prevented the severe brain damage that the baby was born with. These stories prove how dangerous the nursing shortage can be to a patient’s life.
Injuries and Disease Control Nursing is physically challenging. It is not an easy job, and it is not for everyone. Back injuries are one of the most common injuries for nurses. Patients are often obese and are not mobile. The tugging and pulling of the patients takes a toll on a nurse’s back. Nurses are also at risk for infection and disease. With the use of standard precautions, a nurse can eliminate the risk of becoming ill. Many people simply do not want an occupation that puts them at risk for disease or injury.
Become a Nurse! Although there are several reasons why many people would not consider becoming a nurse, there are also several reasons to become a nurse! It is one of the most rewarding jobs. There is a desire to help people improve their lives. The miracle of seeing an ill person stand up out of bed and walk is why people become nurses. The ability to have a complete stranger confide in and trust you with their lives is why people become nurses. The satisfaction of knowing you have changed someone’s life is an indescribable feeling. With a slow economy, many jobs have been cut. With such an extreme shortage, nursing students will have work as soon as they graduate. Employment of nurses is expected to grow by twenty-two percent from 2008 to 2018 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The increase in employment will only increase the shortage so nurses will never be in need of work. Although the nursing occupation is driven by heart and passion, the pay is a bonus. The median annual wage of a registered nurse is near $62,450 (U.S. Bureau of labor statistics). Nursing is one of few occupations that only requires an associate’s degree, yet can make over $60,000 per year. There are several organizations that are trying to promote nursing as a career. Johnson and Johnson has enlisted the “become a nurse campaign”. This campaign is working to address the nursing shortage in the U.S. by recruiting new nurses and nurse faculty and helping to keep nurses currently in the profession (Johnson and Johnson, 1997). Johnson and Johnson recently started the “your future in nursing” training program. This program is a virtual computer game that places students in scenarios that a real life nurse would be placed in (Johnson and Johnson, 1997). This program helps the students learn in a risk-free and relaxed environment. It prepares the students without throwing them into real life scenarios. With campaigns such as these the nursing profession will continue to evolve.
Shortage continues to Increase The nursing shortage is a very serious crisis that our country is facing. The need for quality healthcare professionals is increasing every day. Scholarships and government funded programs are trying to lure students to pursue nursing. As more baby boomers retire, the demand for nursing professionals increases. The lack of nurses is causing medical errors and poor patient care. Several organizations are trying to help decrease the shortage by donating money to educational institutions. These organizations promote and encourage nursing degrees.