When Will the Nursing Shortage Be Over?

With the nursing shortage continuing to worsen each year, we might find ourselves wondering, "when will it end?"

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When Will the Nursing Shortage Be Over?

Written by Morgan Curry, BSN, RN for Nursing CE Central

It feels like the nursing shortage has been around for a while, and COVID-19 has only exacerbated the issue. 

Now that we have made it through what is arguably one of the most difficult seasons in our entire nursing careers, we are feeling the impacts of the nursing shortage now more than ever.  

So, the question is, ‘when will the nursing shortage be over?’ 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the employment of RNs from 2019 to 2029 is projected to increase faster than any other occupation at 7%; the national average for all occupations is about 4%. 

Healthcare systems globally have been strained by the influx of patients, lack of resources, and extreme working conditions; but there is one major outlier that we cannot prevent. 

Time. No matter what we say, do, or believe, there is nothing that can stop it.

Our nursing population is aging, and more nurses are beginning to retire each year; although this is a significant problem to the industry, there are many more factors that come into play that we must address. 

In order to fully understand why the nursing shortage is increasing, let’s break this down some of the most prominent contributing factors.  

Why the Nursing Shortage is Continuing to Worsen 

  • Large Aging Populations and Workforce 

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing outlines that the average age for an RN is 50 years, which poses significant risks for the next several years. As the Baby Boomer and Generation X populations begin to retire from the workforce and potentially present health complications that require care, the nursing industry may be hit with more than they can handle. 

  • Burnout 

A 2018 JAMA Network Open cross-sectional survey determined that out 50,000 nurses, 31.5% of respondents reported leaving the profession due to burnout.  

A recent Nurse Burnout study from Nursing CE Central identified that out of over a thousand nurses, 95% of respondents claimed to be burnt-out, while 47.9% are actively searching for a less stressful position.

  • Turnover 

In the 2020 Nursing Solutions Inc. Health Care Retention Report, nurses have the highest turnover rates of all the allied healthcare professions; and it is continuing to rise. For example, the percentage of national RN turnover in 2019 was 15.9%, and 18.7% in 2020. 

When Will the Nursing Shortage Be Over? 

Rather than improving, the nursing shortage is only growing, so, unfortunately, there is no right or wrong answer to this well-deserved question.  

With increased pressures of the nursing shortage, fatigue, and job dissatisfaction, nurses will only continue to leave the profession.  

So, what can be done about this issue? 

Through the pandemic, hospital institutions along with other employers have been incorporating hazard pay as well as retention and sign-on bonuses to serve as monetary incentives. Of course, all of these are not bad options; however, money can only go so far, and it is only a piece to the entire job satisfaction puzzle. 

Nurses want to feel appreciated and respected; work environment, safety, and work-life balance are major factors that contribute to their job satisfaction.  

Nursing burnout should be addressed as the leading cause of turnover first and foremost. When this national crisis is addressed by employers and hospital institutions, only then will the shortage begin to improve.  

When managers and institutional executives address the root cause of the problem by taking the time to investigate shortcomings, it will allow them to strengthen their team, increase retention, and decrease burnout.  

Nurses, remember why you entered the nursing profession in the first place.  

Your compassion, strength, and grit for the field are unmatched and appreciated more than you know; do not lose sight of this. I know the past year has been extremely difficult for you but try your best to persevere. 

Keep your patients and your nursing philosophy at the root of your care and practice.

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Nursing CE Central

About Nursing CE Central

(Trusted Brand)

Morgan serves as the Course Curriculum Executive Editor and Content Manager at Nursing CE Central. Her extensive background in a Level I Trauma Hospital setting provides vast clinical insight into high octane clinical care, along with a deep understanding of specialized areas of nursing such as heart and lung transplants, ECMO, and cardiac surgery recovery. Morgan’s professional versatility also extends into the highly sought-after field of aesthetic nursing, with comprehensive experience in the Plastic Surgery field; including nurse leadership in PACU, PERI-OP, and OR departments.

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Like any other commodity, it is a matter of supply and demand.

Double nursing pay, and the "shortage" goes away.
Stop treating nurses like crap, and the supply grows.

No mystery, and no different from any other business.

 

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

There is no shortage of people who are nurses. The above spelled it out well. People are sick of the crap being dished out and the stagnant pay.

New nurses are not hanging around to take it for long.

It's a shortage alright. But it's not of actual nurses; just those who are willing to put up with this garbage of over-regulation, hostile patients/ family and tone-deaf management and administration.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
2 minutes ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

There is no shortage of people who are nurses. The above spelled it out well. People are sick of the crap being dished out and the stagnant pay.

New nurses are not hanging around to take it for long.

It's a shortage alright. But it's not of actual nurses; just those who are willing to put up with this garbage of over-regulation, hostile patients/ family and tone-deaf management and administration.

Don't forget the constant push to do more with no additional time or compensation. Hey, you can take another patient, right? Hey, you can empty the trash, right?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Also I really hate the term "burn out". We are in moral distress!

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.

The "nursing shortage" will probably never be over because hospitals/facilities will not do what they need in order to retain employees (see all above responses). I guess it must be easier and cheaper to just replace replace replace all those who do speak up, retire early, or just plain ole quit. They simply don't give a rats behind!

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     I predict that not until critical mass is reached; when hospital administrators are directly held accountable and they pay out multi-million dollar settlements for patient deaths resulting from known, unsafe staffing levels, will the tides begin to turn.  As long as hospitals can limp along with Bandaid approaches and browbeat, mistreat, and exploit existing nursing staff, things will remain status quo.

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Specializes in "Wound care - geriatric care.
3 hours ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

There is no shortage of people who are nurses. The above spelled it out well. People are sick of the crap being dished out and the stagnant pay.

New nurses are not hanging around to take it for long.

It's a shortage alright. But it's not of actual nurses; just those who are willing to put up with this garbage of over-regulation, hostile patients/ family and tone-deaf management and administration.

Yes! You nailed right in the head there sister. There is no nursing shortage. There is a shortage of decent administration. That will pay well and actually hire nurses. This whole thing about nursing shortage is such a cop out for administration. What they are actually doing is making nurses work double and get the most out of them. God help us!

Nursing shortage: the biggest piece of BS ever invented. Administrators love it, nursing schools love it.

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Nurses being short can also give employers ammunition to hire unlicensed personnel, upskill them, pay them little and parcel more and more nursing tasks out to them while paying fewer nurses to supervise, kind of like how long-term care works now.

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Specializes in Cardiology.

If they increase pay and staffing. Since that won't happen this will be the new vicious cycle. Hospitals have realized it is cheaper to keep hiring and training new grads than to pay senior, experienced staff. 

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

There is no nursing shortage - just a glance at how many new nurses can't get hired is proof of that!

Hppy 

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Specializes in NICU (neonatal).
19 hours ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

Also I really hate the term "burn out". We are in moral distress!

Exactly!! And mortal distress, they are literally working us to death ?

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