ALT-1 Nursing Shortage
To solve the nursing shortage, two key initiatives must happen. Organizations who employ nurses should implement retention programs that successfully retain their staff members and a national movement must occur to recruit students to enroll in nursing programs as well as employ instructors necessary to teach the classes. Failure to do so and the United States could face yet its worse nursing shortage.
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is projected the total number of nursing openings could reach one million by 2020 due to an aging population, nurses retiring or leaving the profession, and fewer new nurses entering the field. The average age of a nurse is 48 and the average age of clinical instructors and nursing professors’ range from 50 to 53 years of age.
In regards to nursing programs, there are a total of 3,220 in the United State. Yet, there has been a steady decline in enrollment and graduations from those colleges since 1999. To rectify this, the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association in conjunction with colleges and schools and the Federal government should launch a national advertising campaign to promote the nursing field as a career. Several hospitals also offer scholarships and their generosity should be widely advertised. Furthermore, there should be a push to educate and employ more instructors and professors to teach the classes and oversee the clinical rotations.
In regards to retention, programs should be implemented that recognize nurses for their accomplishments, reward them for their advancements, and create an atmosphere of respect and appreciation. Many new nurses leave the field mainly because they perceive they are overworked and under appreciated not only be physicians, patients, patient family members, administration but also by their older peers. Nursing is a stressful position. An employee should not have to be subject to rudeness or hostility. To alleviate such perceptions, committee should be established allowing nurses to privately air their concerns, receive advice, and resolve their issues in a professional manner.
Organizations should also implement clinical ladders also known as clinical pathways allowing a nurse to advance and receive recognition for furthering their education, certifications, and skills in conjunction with pay.
Caseloads (patient to nurse ratios) should be manageable and conditions in the workforce should not place the nurse’s license in jeopardy. The floors should also be staffed adequately with ancillary support such as nursing assistants and environmental service workers.
Many hospitals offer a variety of retention programs including flexible scheduling, higher pay in lieu of benefits, shift differentials, pay according to years of experience and certifications, twelve or eight hour shifts, weekend programs, sign on bonuses, employee of the month and years of service award recognition, performance based bonuses, tuition reimbursement, free continuing education units (CEUs) but more needs to be done to keep satisfaction levels high. Employees perform well when they are appreciated and the workloads are manageable. In some cases, nurses are even willing to earn a little bit less in exchange to work in a satisfactory environment.
In conclusion, unless there is a national campaign initiated to attract students to nursing programs and a major effort to retain nurses by their employer, the shortage of this profession will only become worse in time.
Source:
American Nurses Associationhttp://www.nursingworld.org/
