CHALLENGES CURRENTLY FACING NURSING

Challenges Currently Facing Nursing

Challenges Currently Facing Nursing

Introduction

This initiative addresses the need to identify the problems and develop alternatives to the lack of nursing. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Organizations has provided strategies and recommendations to help raise awareness in hospitals, governments and the legislative leaders need to solve the nursing shortage.

This initiative is dedicated to all areas affected by the shortage of nurses. Health agency may be the prelude to assist the Joint Commission to establish policies, procedures and standards of practice to reduce the nursing shortage.

Although the nursing shortage are the countries listed below are some statistics on the state of Colorado. This information provided by the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence.

Colorado Nursing Shortage

The shortage of nursing workforce of today and the next two decades is driven by a much wider set of factors than previous shortages:

* A growing and aging population. Colorado is the third fastest growing in the country and forecast a gain of 1.5 million people by 2020.

* The fewer workers. There are fewer younger people in the labor market, which has sparked a "war for talent." Only 9 percent of all nurses working in the United States today are under 30 years or less, down 41 percent in the past 15 years.

* An aging workforce. The physical demands of nursing in general prevent individuals from working in the profession since the mid-50. With the average age of nurses in Colorado is 47 years, many will soon retire. Today, 17 percent of Colorado nurses do not expect to practice in five years.

* A shift in diversity. The racial and ethnic composition of the current nursing workforce does not reflect the growing diversity of the state. Today, more than 90 percent of Colorado nurses were Caucasian.

* More options for women. The women left for other professions in nursing and not enough men have entered the profession to take their place. Now, 95 percent of Colorado nurses are women, while 5 percent are men.

* The generation gap. Generation X, the main source of young workers, perceives nursing as unappealing.

* The work environment. Fewer resources and increased demand have led to dissatisfaction and disillusionment among nurses and a profound lack of support for those entering the profession.

* Consumer activism. Growing consumer empowerment, awareness of medical errors, and the backlash against managed care has led health care consumers insist on vigilant participation in their care.

* The challenge of health systems. Competition, pressures on health financing, and a push for accountability does not bode well for a profession that has no power to create systemic change in the health care system very complex.

Why a nurse who spent countless hours in school studying to be a nurse, studying for boards and pass the test of turn around and give up their careers have worked so hard for? The reasons are varied why nurses are not following their career choice. When the nurses were interviewed as they left the nursing field, the response covers a variety of ...