Nursing Shortage

Nursing Shortage

Introduction

Currently United States is experiencing a huge shortage of nurses, which will increase in coming years. The National Center Analyst Health Workers has estimated that about one in seven hospitals reported vacancies for nurses in a ratio of more than 20 percent. Among the factors influencing the lack of nurses are considered the increase in population and the high proportion of elderly, reducing the number of graduate nurses and increasing average age of registered nurses (Bartels, 2006).

The number of nursing students has been significantly reduced due to lack of teachers in schools. This has generated a high level of academic requirements for acceptance as a student. There are many qualified candidates, but postponed their entry into the study centers and there are not enough teachers.

According to the National Center Analyst Health Workers, the number of new licenses for nurses is projected to be 17 percent lower in 2020. The loss of registered nurses due to retirement age or infirmity, is projected to be 128 percent higher and 40 percent of all registered nurses will have more than 50 years of age in 2010.

Discussion

Currently, the health system seems to struggle with one of its worst crises. Yet over the years, no one can count the number of committees, conferences or consultations tables of all kinds organized to try to find lasting solutions to the nursing shortage, a hot topic for over 10 years. Professional bodies, trade unions and partners have all participated in good faith. Many recommendations from these forums were presented to the government to preserve our health care system in Quebec and to offer the entire population quality care. However, it seems that most of these do not translate into concrete actions. Although the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has established consultation mechanisms to arrive at solutions to problems that currently plague our system, it is still necessary that the solutions are not implemented to consider unnecessary concerted efforts by stakeholders (Zungolo, 2004).

When the actors of the public network have understood that we would soon be hit by a severe shortage of nurses, they were encouraged to use all health professionals to their full powers, including nursing assistants. While it is true that there was a significant improvement in regard to collaboration between nurses and nursing assistants in the field, it does not seem sufficient. Indeed, the fact is the slowness of the health system ...