Shortage of Nurses Continues and Getting Worse

The shortage of registered nurses particularly those with baccalaureate and higher degrees continues. The shortage is evidence in long-term facilities as reported by Kaiser Health News in their story regarding how Medicare lower ratings for 1400 nursing homes because of the lack of nurses.  It is encouraging Medicare is using payroll data to confirm staffing.  When seeking a long-term facility for a loved one asks about their staffing ratio of RN to the patients.  Also, ask about their ratio of certified nurse’s assistance to patients.   Both ratios will provide an idea if the staff is available to support their patients.

Growing Demand for Healthcare Services

The aging population and increasing demand for health services contribute in part to the demand for more registered nurses. With more individuals now having health insurance the need for healthcare services will continue to grow.  As the baby boomer continue to increase many have at least one if not two chronic health conditions.  All this means a need for more registered nurses.

Arizona State University provides an excellent summary of some of the nursing shortage issues.  The shortage is exacerbated by nursing school turning away thousand on applicants.  CNN Money in an April 2018 story illustrates the problems and has an excellent video on how hospital deserts area forming in rural America.

Collaboration is Urgently Needed with All Stakeholders

Board of Nursing, as well as nursing schools across the country, have to a limited degree responded to the demand for increasing their enrollments. Innovations in a curriculum that includes the use of simulations, accelerated programs for those who have degrees in other areas have been developed, and new partnerships between academia and healthcare service settings have been forged. The ability of schools of nursing to rapidly increase their capacity has been hampered by a shortage of resources and qualified faculty, limited clinical sites, restrictive Board of Nursing regulations, and inadequate budgets to expand enrollments.

Hopefully, this dialogue will start conversations about the shortage and potential solutions.

Dr. Bob