April 5- Increasingly, there is a severe shortage of nurses in America's hospitals, which is having a direct and sometimes deadly impact on patients and their families.
The American Medical Association says that since the 1980s, the number of women entering nursing has declined as high-paying opportunities for women have expanded in other areas.Many hospital administrators warn that the nursing shortage will only become worse in the years to come. They foresee an aging population filling up hospitals while many of today's nurses are retiring.
Nationwide, hospitals have a shortfall of 126,000 nurses. The Journal of The American Medical Association says that number could grow to 400,000 in the next decade or so.
Hospitals, desperate to fill vacancies, are trying to attract nurses with offers of big bonuses and higher pay. But so far, this shortage adds up to a chronic medical problem without any quick miracle cure.
When the media want a report on nurses and any of their problems in particular shotages etc they go the Australian Nurses Fedaeration
- whoever is the speaker in that specific state -it is still the same federation throughout Austrailia
So the media do actually give some balanced reviews and stories about nursing - Yes it could be better - But they dont go to the doctors association here most of the time about stories on nursing unless it directly involves them
Here's a "funny" bit about staffing ratios at my hospital:
If the floor is staffed by regular staff, ratio is supposed to be 6:1.
If there are any agency or overtime nurses on the shift, then the ratio goes to 8:1. That is kind of crappy to do to anyone that volunteers to stay for OT, they get totally taken advantage of!
Tookie
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I guess we are lucky here
When the media want a report on nurses and any of their problems in particular shotages etc they go the Australian Nurses Fedaeration
- whoever is the speaker in that specific state -it is still the same federation throughout Austrailia
So the media do actually give some balanced reviews and stories about nursing - Yes it could be better - But they dont go to the doctors association here most of the time about stories on nursing unless it directly involves them
Tookie