Is there REALLY a nursing shortage?

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2006

here's what the ana says about a nursing "shortage-

"...although we hear more about shortages, situations differ from country to country. there may be a real shortage, a pseudo-shortage, a surplus, or things might be basically in balance. in some countries, there are not enough qualified nurses. in others, nurses can't find work. in still others, the shortage is an artificial one. there are enough trained nurses, but they don't want to work under the existing conditions...."

nursingworld | ojin: keynotes of note: american nurses association convention speech - june 24, 2000

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2006

u of penn nursing research dept has this to say about a "shortage"

(i highlighted key points in red)

study of u.s. nurses finds young leaving profession; shortage may reach crisis....

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study of u.s. nurses finds young leaving profession; nurse shortage may reach crisis sooner than thought

september 5, 2002

in one of the most far-reaching studies of the current state of nursing, a university of pennsylvania researcher has discovered that newly minted nurses are leaving the profession at far faster rates than their predecessors, suggesting that the current shortage of nurses may reach crisis proportions sooner than anticipated.

one additional surprising finding is that beginning male nurses are leaving the profession at twice the rate of women. the research, which analyzes data from the national sample survey of registered nurses collected by the division of nursing in the u.s. department of health and human services in 1992, 1996 and 2000, is reported today in the influential health care policy journal health affairs.

"the study indicates that new nurses begin their careers with higher levels of job satisfaction, but the workplace itself seems to be convincing growing numbers to leave the bedside earlier in their careers for other professions," said julie sochalski, ph.d., rn, associate professor at the university of pennsylvania school of nursing. "we know the nation is facing a shortfall of nurses. if new rns are leaving the profession after only a few years, the shortage is likely to reach crisis proportions sooner rather than later."

as baby boomers age, thus increasing demands on the health care system, the median age of nurses is rising toward retirement. the u.s. department of labor predicts a shortfall of 331,000 nurses by 2008, leading to national recruitment efforts. however, dr. sochalski found that nearly 136,000 nurses are working in other professions, suggesting policy makers should turn their attention to nurse retention as well as the current emphasis on recruitment.

specifically, the research found that:

o in the most recent nurse survey, 7.5 percent of new male nurses dropped out of nursing within four years of graduating from nursing school, compared to 4 percent of women;

o the dropout rate for both male and female new graduates is accelerating, rising from 2 percent of men in 1992 to 7.5 percent in 2000; and 2.7 percent of women in 1992 to 4.1 percent in 2000;

o among new nurses, 75 percent of women reported being satisfied with their jobs compared to only 67 percent of men; among more established nurses 69 percent of women and 60 percent of men were satisfied.

"one might predict that this new cohort of nurses may be destined to see their satisfaction levels sag over time, which, depending on the market conditions, may influence decisions to continue in their position or to leave nursing entirely," dr. sochalski reports in health affairs. "the accelerating rate of loss in the supply of nurses, at a time of substantially increasing demand, underscores the need to determine the reasons for the exodus. and while men may not yet comprise a sizable number of the total who are leaving, the growth in their retreat from nursing is nonetheless concerning."

source: school of nursing public relations

for additional information contact: university communications at 215-898-8721.

university of pennsylvania : research at penn : society :: young nurses, male nurses are quitting at an alarming rate

bmh-lpn · Dec 7, 2006

No shortage here in my neck of the woods. Only a shortage of nurses to work for the low paying wage jobs! And so long as new grads are continously pumped out to work at these low wages they will continue to offer these low paying jobs. So I believe in my area only a ploy to get more of those willing to go back to school & work for that low pay job. Then the same nurses after 7-8 years move on to other things. There is a saying some of my friends repeat is that most nurses burn out in 7-8 years and quit nursing. So sad! :crying2:

all4schwa · Dec 7, 2006

There's no shortage of IT workers, but companies are outsourcing to India like mad. There's no shortage of autoworkers, but Ford anc GM make most of their cars in Mexico now.
There's no shortage of Americans willing to work in factories, but almost all the merchandise you can buy is made in China.
Patients, however, cannot be outsourced, so foreign nurses are insourced instead.
There is no flippin' nursing shortage.

it's all suddenlly very clear to me now...

CrazyHands · Dec 7, 2006

I don't think you can say that community colleges are pumping out new RNs. In NJ, for every 250 applicants, only approximately 50 will graduate every two years, this does include the 2 average years it takes to get accepted. So every 4 years, 50 new graduates will be in the field if they pass the NCLEX rightaway.

It's too bad the other 25 who drop or fail out each year aren't in the field, but I think that is a flaw in the cirriculum. If critical thinking is such a big part of nursing why isn't a critical thinking course part of pre/co-reqs?

That might aid in the nursing shortage.

CrazyHands

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2006

According to the stats, there are more nursing students and more new grads than ever- and more nurses are leaving nursing faster than ever before. Read some of the links here to find out.

PACNWNURSING · Dec 7, 2006

Clearly "bedside nursing" has two criteria related to this shortage issue.

1. The conditions of the job, nurse/patient ratios, lack of support, etc.

2. New nurses usually take these "bedside nursing" jobs as their first nursing jobs.

Both of these issues, lead to nurses leaving the profession.

Issues worth considering:

1. Continue to change the image of nursing from bed pan/urinal care takers and recognize the amount of education and experience required to perform the job.

2. Obviously, Realistic nurse/patient ratios.

3. Having several levels of nurses within non-critical care acute care settings and paying them accordlingly. These should be based on experience and skill level. If your fresh out of school you do work pcu, icu,etc, Med/surg u do not get full patient loads. Most other professions require an internship period, new attorneys do not go to trial, engineers do not design bridges, these usualy require years of training and experience. why should new nurses take on the huge responsiblity of caring for very ill persons on their own.

3. Have the State Board of nursing require hospitals not to assign newly licensed nurses to critical care positions or have full assisgnments. Yepper I am saying hospital nurses should have residencies..

There are many more detailed issues, this are just a few.

sunnyjohn · Dec 7, 2006

Yepper I am saying hospital nurses should have residencies..
There are many more detailed issues, this are just a few.

I actually agree with you on the standardized nurse residency issues. I also think those residencies should cover nursing issues in med/sug AND critical care.

A new doctor can't practice without one year as an intern/resident. (yes, I know I oversimplified the doc licensing process)

Many of the new MD graduates who don't get their choice of specialty or don't know what they want to do do a "transitional intern year". That would save many a new nurse who ended up hating his/her job and burned out after the first 3 months. They could move around and try out different things while gaining clinical skills and getting paid.

New nurses should get the same.

Check out this link. These people have developed a nurse residnecy program being tried out in a few hospitals.

http://www.versant.org/item.asp?id=83

sunnyjohn · Dec 7, 2006

I also think what is taught in nursing school needs to be standardised. Some get Oragnic Chem, some don't . Some get a seperate Patho class, some don't.

Forget the same page. We aren't even reading from the same book!

emmycRN · Dec 7, 2006

The ANA states in their position statement that there is an "impending nursing shortage". According to them, most nurses are nearing retirement age at the same time that baby boomers will be requiing more health services. So I guess that means that currently there is no actual shortage of registered nurses.

It's interesting reading posts about new grads because I have noticed the schools in my area pumping them out by the hundreds, and I live in a relatively small area. I agree with the rest of you that this won't solve the problem (if there is one) because I am convinced that these newbies (myself included) won't be willing to work in the hospital environment for long before moving on the greener pastures, whether that means leaving bedside nursing or the profession altogether.

I have attempted to research the current state of the so called nursing shortage and can't seem to find any recent data. Any of you our there know of a good web site with current statistics?

tammiefinley · Dec 7, 2006

I think that there should be a min. wage for nurse's because then the facilities would have to be closer in pay than other states or even other reigons of the state. I know alot of nurses have gone to other states just because the pay is better and the cost of living is still the same price. They just can't make it on what is being offered here. The college is still putting out the same amt. of nurses but when they find out what the pay is they will take jobs doing other things just because they can get paid better working as a factory worker with alot less responsiblity.

mvanz9999, RN · Dec 7, 2006

Actually, it isn't in the best interest for hospitals to have revolving door and new nurses. New nurses usually need 3 months on the job training with a preceptor. So everytime that a new grad fills an empty spot, the hospital has to pay that salary, as well as the preceptor because that preceptor is not going to be taking care of different patients.

Never, EVER, EVER attempt to use your education or logic to reason with corporations. Yes, it would be in their best interest to retain nurses. Do they see this? No. Never, ever, ever will they see this.

I gave up logic and big business many years ago. I can think of 100s of ways my current employer could save money. Ordering cheap, shoddy, second-hand equipment is not one of those ways. The man hours required to fix/maintain junk would be better spent on top-quality hardware.

So don't think. Logic and corporations do not mix.