Nursing Shortage Continues During Recession
While other industries are drying up and employment is at a recent high, the nursing industry is booming. The need for nurses is increasingly imperative. So dire that a recent study by the Health and Human Services Administration states that there will be a shortage of more than 400,000 nurses in the coming year, and possibly more than 1 million in 2020.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are about 2.6 million Registered Nurses in the U.S., and 60 percent of them work in hospitals. Not all nurses need to complete a bachelor’s program, but many are seeking bachelorette- and master-level programs to advance their skills and their earning potential.
Many people are aware about the shortage, but do not understand how an industry with top-paying salaries and a promising growth rate can experience such a calamity. How can this happen to professionals who make an average of $57,000 a year in an industry that is poised to grow by 23 percent by 2016? There are a few contributing factors affecting the nursing shortage.
Nursing education on the decline
A major cause of the nursing shortage is the decline of educators in the field that provide training for potential nurses. According to the Center to Champion Nursing in America, nursing schools are being forced reject qualified applicants for their baccalaureate and graduate programs because there are not enough faculty members to teach nursing courses. In 2008 alone, the National League for Nursing said that more than 99,000 prospective nursing students were turned away from nursing programs. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing says that only 50,000 qualified applicants in were rejected the same year due to a lack of full-time faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and financial limitations.
This has led to a bottleneck effect because the pool of applicants cannot get into the programs necessary to get education due to the limited nursing educators at universities and training facilities.
Similarly, the pool of nursing instructors is dwindling because of the advanced ages of students in master’s programs. In fact, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses states that the average doctoral-prepared nursing professor is 59, associate professors are 56 and assistant professors are 51. According to a study performed by Berlin and Sechrist in 2002, nursing faculty retire at the age of 62 on average.
There are also a limited number of teaching facilities and course curriculums are not updated as regularly to reflect modern nursing technologies. These are some other factors affecting the nursing education arena.
Population, demand on the rise
Another component affecting the demand for nursing professionals, and contributing to the nursing shortage, is the aging population of people. Kaiser Health News states that population growth directly mandates the need for more nursing professionals. As people age, they will likely require more medical services. Baby boomers alone are commonly cited as being a culprit in the increased demand for medical care. As a person ages, they tend to accumulate health problems and thus require a greater amount of medical services.
“The nursing shortage at our long-term care facility is difficult and getting worse,” said New York-based nursing director Chris Urbano in a statement to citytowninfo.com. “We can't get enough RNs for geriatric care. The focus of nursing education programs today is on acute care, which is more glitzy and pays more.”
Responding to the nursing shortage
So, how do we respond to the nursing shortage and provide viable careers for those who are gifted in caring for others? Kaiser says that improving recruiting and retention is key, and is a smart start. They also claim that salary increases for registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing assistants could help in retaining top talent. Additionally, offering financial aid, loan and scholarship opportunities to prospective nursing students will help widen the field for those who want to enter the field.
In addition to traditional schools, prospective nurses can also use less conventional means of education including online education avenues. Online education, for example, offers a focused education at an accelerated pace. And now there are plenty of accredited online universities offering flexible classes. This may also help existing nursing professionals obtain further education while they are able to hold down part- and full-time jobs.
While job prospects are favorable according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are still a wide number of factors that are affecting this arena. Only recently have solutions been deployed in order to respond to the challenges and regulate this rewarding career field.
Sources:
http://www.citytowninfo.com/career-and-education-news/articles/nursing-shortage-continues-in-spite-of-relief-from-the-recession-09102803
http://www.kaiseredu.org/topics_im.asp?imID=1&parentID=61&id=138
http://championnursing.org/sites/default/files/u/1589_Fact_Sheet_MASTER.pdf
http://www.pressrepublican.com/0101_education/local_story_061223549.html
http://industry.bnet.com/healthcare/10001396/doctor-shortage-is-worsening-say-hospital-ceos/
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm
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