When Will the Nursing Shortage Be Over?

[Nursing CE Central]

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.

[SmilingBluEyes]

"burn out" tends to blame the person feeling the pain. Moral distress tends to put the blame where it belongs, to forces outside the nurse's control.

I would like to see the term "burn out", well, burn out!

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

I always feel bad for the nurses that come to work and are full of nothing but negativity. They tend to be unhappy about most things in their lives though. Now the social workers with a master's degree making way less than an entry level RN... I do feel bad for them.

[DowntheRiver]

I think what also needs to be mentioned is the fact that the nursing workforce is predominantly female. During COVID, multiple studies show that women have bore the brunt of childcare responsibilities, many having to lower their hours or quit altogether because of school and/or daycare shutdowns or at-home schooling. Many women have put their careers on hold because of this. 

Childcare costs are also ridiculously high. I'm set to give birth next week and will be staying home until May because childcare is just so expensive. I live in Florida where wages are low. Quality daycare is $400-$450/week for infants. If I worked part time I'd basically break even paying daycare costs. So, I might as well stay home with my little man and cut back on expenses.

[Guest1176712]

On 7/26/2021 at 4:57 PM, 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.

I think there's a hiring shortage too. In some cases, HR post jobs they never entend to fill. Less labor, more profits. https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/why-do-imaginary-job-openings-exist/  This creates the morally unjust working conditions mentioned above that nurses refuse to work in if they can help it. 
Also, here is more info on the future shortage of nurses: https://www.registerednursing.org/articles/largest-nursing-shortages/

[JKL33]

On 7/27/2021 at 4:07 PM, SmilingBluEyes said:

I would like to see the term "burn out", well, burn out!

I said this as soon as it seemed to be gaining traction. Wrote about it here before. Synopsis: Being "burned out" on something typically refers to a thing that is inherently enjoyable or at least good enough, and someone is simply tired of it/desires a change. The example I gave was something like if I eat salad for lunch every day for 5 years, I might at some point say, "you know, I'm kind of burned out on salad, I think I'll have yogurt and berries instead." No one says, "you know, I'm really burned out on these dirt sandwiches!"

"Burned out" is for things that you're just tired of for your own reasons, not things that actually suck.

[Leonardo Del Toro, RN]

7 hours ago, AtomicNurse said:

I think there's a hiring shortage too. In some cases, HR post jobs they never entend to fill. Less labor, more profits. 

I know. I've remember applying constantly to a certain hospital and never, ever hearing anything at all. I was like sending applications to a wall. Very humiliating after all we had to do to become nurses. There is no nursing shortage. I'll never believe that.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

Last year my unit had almost 30% vacancy and that was before many more including me left.  The ICU had over 40% in less than a year.  I ran into a coworker and she said 19 staff in the ER left in less than 3 months.  I heard all the OR staff left as of June.  Also that my old unit is going to close due to a lack of nurses.

The last year, dealing with toxic management and extreme short staffing and lack of supplies was the worst in my 27 years of nursing.  As a coworker noted, the management was worse than covid!  This is what propelled me to early retirement, otherwise I would have worked till 62 at least. 

Anyway I'm curious am I the only one whose hair turned really grey?  I've read stress will cause grey hair and my hair is almost white/silver.  I remember President Obama's hair turned grey too.  Anybody else notice their hair turned grey or greyer from the last year?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

2 minutes ago, brandy1017 said:

Anybody else notice their hair turned grey or greyer from the last year?

I’ve definitely gotten grayer, but that could be genetics. My mom was completely gray before she was 30, and I’m now 10 years past that. 

[Leonardo Del Toro, RN]

17 minutes ago, brandy1017 said:

 

Anyway I'm curious am I the only one whose hair turned really grey?  I've read stress will cause grey hair and my hair is almost white/silver.  I remember President Obama's hair turned grey too.  Anybody else notice their hair turned grey or greyer from the last year?

Not sure because my head is shaved. I suppose I'm pretty white. I'm 63 and will work full time for another 2 years then retire at 66 1/2? Can't wait...

[Leonardo Del Toro, RN]

On 7/27/2021 at 5:11 AM, RNperdiem said:

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.

Yes. I work in a nursing facility and now I'm the only RN, all other LVN's in the PM shift. I have to do more work, mores responsibilities. I'm asking for a raise... 

[strawberryluv, BSN, RN]

It will be over when nurses start getting more respect and less crap from everyone.

[gcupid]

go on a short strike during this pandemic delta stuff and let's see what happens...

 

The hospital areas that have horrible staffing before the delta variant even arrives are going to be in an even bigger problem problem months from now.