subject: How The Nursing Shortage Affects The Healthcare System [print this page] According to the American Medical Association, by the year 2020, there will be a 20 percent shortage in the number of nurses needed in the United States.Some 80 million baby boomers are expected to retire between 2010 and 2020, and this surge in retirement, along with the shortage now, could lead to the largest nursing shortage the United States has ever had.
These shortages will have a big impact on the healthcare that the public receives, and the impact will be felt in a number of areas.It will limit the access that people have to healthcare services.Waiting times to get services also become longer.With fewer nurses, the number of patients that each nurse cares for will increase, adding to the chances for medical mistakes.Because of the increase in numbers of patients for each nurse, there will be greater risk of spreading infection and disease, greater risk of getting injured, more risk of patients dying, and greater nurse turnover from the stress, and also increased need for therapy because of the stress.
Surveys taken of nurses also showed that the shortage is affecting the care they provide patients now.Almost 80 percent responded that care was being affected.The nurses said they did not have the time to maintain the highest standards of care.A survey of doctors showed that more than half believed that nursing shortages were responsible for medical errors.And another showed that thousands of patient lives are put at risk.
Where the shortage really becomes a problem is in the emergency room, where patients often need to be treated within a minimal amount of time.
The government, along with nursing school leaders and other healthcare officials, is working to address the shortage.One way of doing this is by providing incentives to those who choose nursing as a career.One proposed incentive is to offer grants to students planning to enroll in nursing school.Also, online nursing programs have gained more acceptance as a way to help educate more nurses.State governments also are working with the private sector to create incentives for people to enter the nursing profession.But an issue that needs to be addressed here is the bottleneck that occurs at nursing schools.In many places, there just are not enough spaces for people who want to enroll, and so there is a waiting list of applicants.
There is also a general recognition about the need to increase salaries and improve working conditions for nurses.
by:JeanHenshaw
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