More Than One Million New Nurses Needed by 2010

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Dec 13, 2001

Karen

Are you in on any of the reasons the ANA decided to push for more education loans and money to recruit new nurses instead of encouraging those that have left practice to come back? Seems like if we have an unending supply of fresh people there is not much incentive to improve, and older nurses become even more disposable.

RNed · Dec 13, 2001

As long as the shortage exists, there is motivation to change.

This should be viewed as a positive for nursing. We should not be quick in its resolve. If no shortage exists, then those in power are more likely to dictate than to negotiate.

As an individual and as a nurse, I see power in the shortage. This is a time to make positive changes in our work environment and compensation. We should use it to our gain.

These reports are great, however, they are not addressing the problem, just reporting there is one or there is going to be one and why.

They ( hospital CEO's, health system adminstrators, government) know the nursing shortage is not the biggest problem.

The biggest problem is:

They have not accepted the solution !!

Thanks for the reports and leads, we should take them to our next negotiations.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Dec 14, 2001

cannoehead:

the main purpose of ana is promoting and protecting registered nursing on a national level. the individual constituent members work to promote and protect nursing on a state or local level.

both are involved in a two-prong approach: education and workplace reform . sometimes timing is what's important in getting a situation changed.

educational reform is aimed at assisting persons entering the profession and for current nurses: improving career mobility via encouraging medical workers to become nurses, lpn's to become rn's and advanced education for rn's be it bsn, msn or doctorates. the average age of nursing educators is 48-52---if we don't have sufficient educators then we're unable to continue or enlarge nursing programs.

who better to become educators than bedside nurses who can help influence and educate the nurses of tomorrow to strengthen nursing's backbone to negotiate improved workplace conditions and teach nurses how to effective work within a healthcare organization?

nurses themselves need to take a proactive approach in dealing with workplace issues, instead of thinking that their manager or that famous "someone else" will take care of their needs. luckily, i have learned to become proactive as i've been blessed to have had an outstanding hospital clinical nurse educators and savvy head nurses teach me as a novice in the hospital setting in the late 70's and early 80's. along with my bsn nursing instructors and psna colleagues, these persons showed me that i had the ability to shape my everyday practice and the responsibility to myself, my patients/clients and the nursing profession to work for positive change.

the nurse reinvestment act (s. 1597, h.r. 1436) and the nursing employment and education development act (s. 721) would authorize federal funding for scholarships and loan repayments for nursing students who agree to work in shortage areas after they graduate. in addition, both bills would include funding for nursing faculty and curriculum development, career ladder programs and public service announcements aimed a promoting nursing as a career.
ana believes this legislation is a crucial component in addressing the emerging nursing shortage...
in addition, an increasing number of nurses are leaving the profession as a result of serious problems in the workplace, including the use of mandatory overtime. ....
"the funding for education provided by these bills will help boost nursing school enrollments and will encourage existing nurses to go back to school to increase their levels of education," foley pointed out. "coupled with needed improvements in the workplace, these bills will, in the end, contribute to better patient outcomes and a stronger nursing profession."

both of these issues need to be addressed simultaneously in order to attract new nursing students, entice non-practicing nurses with nursing refresher courses, job flexibility and improved work conditions to reverse the nursing shortage

full message re nurses renew push for passage of nursing shortage legislation available at:

http://www.nursingworld.org/pressrel/2001/pr1204.htm

wildtime88 · Dec 14, 2001

To get one piece of the legislation passed means selling nurses down the river who want to stay at the bedside.

If you want to see a mass exodous of nurses who have been holding on to a hope that things are going to change, then get the legislation passed. If you do not want to see nurses who have left come back to the bedside, then get this legislation passed.

By passing this legislation you are empowering the hospitals and other institutions who have treated us so badly and just as things were starting to go our way. It in fact, undermines the power and strength that nurses are just beginning to realize and use.

Our basic problems have not been solved yet. There has been very little progress at solving our problems, but the ANA is in fact giving a way to hospital CEO's and others a way out of solving our problems by pushing legilation which they can use to replace us if we do not like it.

Let what happened at the Cleveland Clinic be an example of things to come if this legislation passes.

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11674

For more of an understanding on how this can be used against us see:

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12422

RNed · Dec 14, 2001

We should be proactive in our approach. First we need workplace reform and increase compensation. We should actively and aggressive seek those changes during this critical time.

No, we should not simultaneoulsy seek two corrections at the same time or mix issues. This is used against organized nursing. It is meant to divide and conquer. We frequently see this use in union negotiations to fracture the membership into many splitter groups. They bargin one issue against the other.

We should focus on one issue at a time. Fix the first, workplace reform and compensation, this will solve the more immediate problem and more nurses will remain and new student enrollments will occur and the second,

educational reform, may not need fixing.

Mijourney · Dec 14, 2001

Hi. Yes, advancing concerns of the nursing profession should be done methodically and with as much concensus as possible. The problem or challenge, if you will, is that there is a wide range of reasons for people entering the profession. Many enter the profession and don't want to expend the additional effort of "political" involvement in nursing causes. I don't believe that many nurses are even communicating their concerns to their local, state, or national representatives which is better than doing nothing.

We do not have a consensus under the ANA, because most nurses are not members. The ANA appears to most of us outsiders to either to be willing co conspirators with government and private industry to "control" nursing or simply weak lobbyists due to the lack of financial resources to back concerns. It may be a combination of both.

On the national level, the question is whether an infusion of a large percentage of nurses in a national association will change the politics of that association? When it comes to lobbying, we all know that money talks louder then anything. The only thing that nurses have going for us, IMO, is that most people have come to realize that they can't do without us.

wildtime88 · Dec 14, 2001

To see the letter I sent in opposition to the propsosed legislation click

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=12464

If you have not sent a message against it yet. Make sure you do today.