6 Factors behind the Nationwide Nursing Shortage
The U.S nursing shortage is a problem that’s been here since quite some time and worsens with each passing year. According to the National Council on Aging, factors such as the aging “Baby Boomer” population of around 75 million are driving up healthcare demands. Compounding the issue further is the fact that nursing schools nationwide are struggling to meet the demands of aspiring students due to a lack of qualified teaching staff.
According to the 2018-2019 report published by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACNN), nursing schools across the country turned away around 75,000 qualified applicants from their baccalaureate and graduation programs. The underlying reasons were attributed to a lack of funding, clinical sites, faculty, clinical preceptors, and classroom space.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at 6 impactful factors behind the nationwide nursing shortage.
Retirement Age of Baby Boomers
One of the primary reasons behind the nursing shortage is the retirement age of people born shortly after the Second World War. Over 70 million children were born during the 1940s; most of whom are retiring and taking with them years of knowledge and experience. According to Health Affairs, around 70,000 registered nurses retire annually and by 2030, almost a million empty positions will be created within the healthcare sector.
Poor Working Conditions
Another major factor contributing to the high rates of nursing turnover is poor working conditions. This has made the younger generation (i.e. Millennials) avoid a profession that is notorious for long work shifts and a non-existent work-life balance. There’s also the fact that the majority of nurses are overworked and expected to carry out their duties without proper training, facilities, amenities, or benefits.
Another factor that’s making the nursing profession lose its appeal especially among women is the presence of alternate career paths – something that wasn’t available to the nurses of old. As businesses worldwide seek to incorporate more females into higher positions of leadership, many women prefer to capitalize on lucrative opportunities found elsewhere.
Lack of Nursing Trainers
With more nurses retiring from the profession than ones coming in, the science of nursing is currently experiencing a lack of qualified educators. As a result, many nursing schools are forced to turn away aspiring applicants. Despite taking in lesser numbers, classrooms have high student-teacher ratios which lower the quality of education and results in inadequately trained nurses entering the workforce.
The decrease in quality trainers has also forced many healthcare institutions to offer training programs to new nurses that are simply not up-to-par with those of previous generations. As such, many hospitals and clinics suffer from insufficiently trained nurses that are unable to live up to the set standard.
Nurses Avoid Critical Care Settings
In order to combat nursing shortages, numerous hospitals and healthcare organizations are now offering incentives to workers that agree to go through training and sign agreements to work for specific time periods. This may seem like a smart decision on the part of healthcare institutions, but it only ends up worsening the problem.
Because nurses are high in demand, they have the option to choose from a wide range of healthcare providers. Naturally, they’ll be more inclined to work in places that offer better working conditions as opposed to positions crucial to patient care. While less stressful environments, a work-life balance, and decent salaries are attractive incentives from the nurses’ perspective, departments such as emergency care and oncology that require full-time nurses suffer as a consequence.
Healthcare Institutions Hiring Inexperienced Medical Staff
There’s a lack of knowledge – and indeed appreciation – regarding the crucial role of nurses in healthcare facilities. Many assume nurses to be good only for administering shots. Unfortunately, the ignorance and under-appreciation have seeped into hospitals which – either driven by greed or lack of knowledge – are now hiring medical assistants instead of qualified nurses.
Substituting registered nurses for lesser-paid medical assistants allows hospitals to save on costs. However, the difference in expertise results in providing sub-par healthcare services. The small number of nurses that are left behind are then overworked and underpaid. As a result, qualified nurses have to carry enormous amounts of stress which increases dissatisfaction levels and ultimately results in resignations.
Financial Obstacles
The costs of acquiring healthcare education have always been notoriously high especially when pursuing a nursing license via associates, bachelors, or master’s programs. This is not taking into account the additional years of study required for professional development. The cumulative financial costs place graduates under immense debt. All of these factors act as barriers to entry into the nursing profession.
Clearly, solving the nursing shortage problems will require a proactive approach on behalf of both governmental and private healthcare agencies. Medical Associates Consulting provides medical recruitment services in Texas. It helps medical professionals find the ideal full-time, part-time, or locum jobs. Contact us today for more information.
