This week is nurse’s week. I could go on and on about different nurses whom I love to work with, ones that have saved my butt, those that I go to for difficult clinical questions, and many that have become dear friends. I could do that, but instead I want to talk to you about a real problem.
We are experiencing a nursing shortage and it’s going to get worse.
Newsflash, our health care system cannot operate without nurses and patient care will be significantly affected by ongoing shortages. So what is happening and where are all of the nurses going?
- A shortage of nursing school faculty is restricting nursing program enrollments. U.S. nursing schools turned away 64,067 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2016 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and clinical preceptors, as well as budget constraints. Almost two-thirds of the nursing schools responding to the survey pointed to a shortage of faculty and/or clinical preceptors as a reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into their programs.
- A significant segment of the nursing workforce is nearing retirement age. 55% of the RN workforce is age 50 or older and it is expected that more than 1 million registered nurses will reach retirement age within the next 10 to 15 years.
- Changing demographics signal a need for more nurses to care for our aging population. Estimates show that by 2050, the number of US residents age 65 and over is projected to be 83.7 million, almost double its estimated population of 43.1 million in 2012. With larger numbers of older adults, there will be an increased need for geriatric care, including care for individuals with chronic diseases and comorbidities.
- Insufficient staffing is raising the stress level of nurses, impacting job satisfaction, and driving many nurses to leave the profession. Yes, Yes, Yes. I see this every day.
If you have every spent a day in the hospital or clinic yourself or with a loved one, then you will know just exactly how serious this situation is. When is the last time a doctor brought you pain medication after surgery? Have you ever wondered who the lab calls first with abnormal lab results? It’s not me. Who is it that really makes a difference between a tolerable stay in the clinic or hospital or a completely miserable one? Listen to what Eden has to say about her nurses here: Eden’s Story.
There are some incentive programs in place to try to combat the problem, but in their current state they aren’t big enough to stop the train coming down the track. When this crisis hits full swing, we are going to be in serious trouble and it’s going to be a public health disaster.
So to all the nurses out there in the trenches every day. Thank you. I know staffing is a mess. I know our patients are more complex than every before and you are faced with an onslaught of satisfaction and quality metrics that make your job even more difficult. I know you are constantly teaching new nurses and new doctors. We appreciate you and we know that without you, we would all be worse off. Thank you for being my eyes and my ears when I am there and when I am not. But most of all, thank you for your unwavering dedication to our patients.
For more information on the shortage, please go here.
