Among the vast array of health care careers lies the area of direct care giving. These professionals are often Home Health Assistant (HHA) or Home Health Aides, Personal Care Assistants, Nurse's Aides, Patient Care Technicians and several other titles, depending on the work environment and the region.
Certified Nursing Assistants work closely with patients and provide assistance with daily living tasks, such as: dressing (according to patients' needs, ranging from minimal assistance to totally dependent); bathing (bed baths, tub baths, showers); feeding (serving meals, physically feeding patients who are unable to do so themselves); toileting (assisting with bedpans & urinals, help to the bathroom, provide incontinent care for patients who need it); vital signs (Blood pressure, pulse, etc); Catheter caring (emptying, upkeep of Intake & Output sheets when necessary); answering call lights in a timely fashion; assisting patients with ambulation, when needed; range of Motion Exercises, as prescribed by physical therapy; assisting residents in wheelchairs (a lot of heavy lifting at times); making beds and keeping the patients' rooms and belongings neat and organized; ensuring that bedridden patients are turned at least every two hours, to ensure comfort and to prevent bedsores; reporting all changes, physical and mental, of the patients to the nurse; Post Mortem Care; safety awareness - keeping an eye on wanderers and watching for potentially dangerous situations; Documentation - daily documentation on the care provided to each patient; and anything else that needs to be done.
Certified Nurse Assistants are required to lift patients, assist a patient that is falling and carry heavy medical equipment. They should have the physical dexterity to perform skills that require fine motor movement. Basic observations are made by the CNA; therefore they should possess the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch.
Certified Nursing Assistants can be found in nursing homes, hospitals, adult day health centers, assisted living facilities, even personal homes. Wherever there is a need for personal care, Certified Nursing Assistants are the ones who, for the most part, perform the most basic needs for patients, young and old alike. They work under the supervision of a nurse. Since aides have extensive daily contact with each patient, they are keys to providing vital information on the patients' conditions to the nurse.
A certified nursing assistant's job does not end with the physical needs of the patients. This is a job which requires compassion and a desire to make people comfortable and happy. Residents of nursing homes often suffer from depression and/or dementia, and the certified nursing assistant is often the closest human contact afforded to many of these people. A sense of humor helps in this field.
Showing posts with label Facts About Nursing Shortage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facts About Nursing Shortage. Show all posts
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Online Nursing Degree Programs in LPN to RN Transition Programs
Any LPN who feels they have established a good base of knowledge and nursing experience may wish to take the next step and become a Registered Nurse (RN). The difference between a LPN and a RN may seem small at first glance, but differ greatly in the education required to achieve each certification, and the opportunities afforded to each down the road are what really makes the difference. Many more options become available to a RN as they gain more experience, ones that will not be offered to a LPN regardless of experience or base knowledge. Without and RN certification, it is increasingly difficult for a LPN-certified nurse to continue to receive promotions or to further their career, especially financially. While the the money may be okay in the beginning of their career, an LPN will want to continue some education program so they can continue to grow in the future.
A LPN to RN transition program is designed for qualified Licensed Practical Nurses who wish to become Registered Nurses with a minimum amount of time and with a little repeat of course content and credits. Graduates of the program are eligible to become RN's after they pass the mandatory exam for all aspiring RNs. The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), is a standardized test for all RNs. The exam tests current medical knowledge, nursing competencies, and determines your eligibility to earn a RN license and begin your career as a Registered Nurse. To get the ball rolling and begin your work as a RN make sure you have satisfied all the requirements for the Transition Program.
First you obviously need to be a graduate from a State Board approved nursing program with a GPA of 2.5. You will also need to submit an official transcript of required courses and an interview with on of the program's faculty. Finally you will need to complete the Nursing and Allied Health application and submit it to the Division of Nursing and Allied Health, before the application deadline date for that semester's program. While it may seem daunting to a recently certified LPN, it is highly recommended that they continue on with learning and gaining new certification, and shooting for a RN status will open may doors for them in the future.
Visit the College Network to get more information on LPN to RN online degree programs.
Article from RNCentral.com
A LPN to RN transition program is designed for qualified Licensed Practical Nurses who wish to become Registered Nurses with a minimum amount of time and with a little repeat of course content and credits. Graduates of the program are eligible to become RN's after they pass the mandatory exam for all aspiring RNs. The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), is a standardized test for all RNs. The exam tests current medical knowledge, nursing competencies, and determines your eligibility to earn a RN license and begin your career as a Registered Nurse. To get the ball rolling and begin your work as a RN make sure you have satisfied all the requirements for the Transition Program.
First you obviously need to be a graduate from a State Board approved nursing program with a GPA of 2.5. You will also need to submit an official transcript of required courses and an interview with on of the program's faculty. Finally you will need to complete the Nursing and Allied Health application and submit it to the Division of Nursing and Allied Health, before the application deadline date for that semester's program. While it may seem daunting to a recently certified LPN, it is highly recommended that they continue on with learning and gaining new certification, and shooting for a RN status will open may doors for them in the future.
Visit the College Network to get more information on LPN to RN online degree programs.
Article from RNCentral.com
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Current and Projected Shortage Indicators
The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the U.S. could reach as high as 500,000 by 2025 according to a report released by Dr. Peter Buerhaus and colleagues in March 2008. The report, titled The Future of the Nursing Workforce in the United States: Data, Trends and Implications, found that the demand for RNs is expected to grow by 2% to 3% each year.
In a statement released in March 2008, The Council on Physician and Nurse Supply, an independent group of health care leaders based at the University of Pennsylvania, has determined that 30,000 additional nurses should be graduated annually to meet the nation's healthcare needs, an expansion of 30% over the current number of annual nurse graduates.
According to the latest projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published in the November 2007 Monthly Labor Review, more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2016. Government analysts project that more than 587,000 new nursing positions will be created through 2016 (a 23.5% increase), making nursing the nation’s top profession in terms of projected job growth. www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2007/11/art5full.pdf
According to a report released by the American Hospital Association in July 2007, U.S. hospitals need approximately 116,000 RNs to fill vacant positions nationwide. This translates into a national RN vacancy rate of 8.1%. The report, titled The 2007 State of America's Hospitals - Taking the Pulse, also found that 44% of hospital CEOs had more difficulty recruiting RNs in 2006 than in 2005.
Based on finding from the Nursing Management Aging Workforce Survey released in July 2006 by the Bernard Hodes Group, 55% of surveyed nurses reported their intention to retire between 2011 and 2020. The majority of those surveyed were nurse managers.
In April 2006, officials with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released projections that the nation's nursing shortage would grow to more than one million nurses by the year 2020. In the report titled What is Behind HRSA's Projected Supply, Demand, and Shortage of Registered Nurses?, analysts show that all 50 states will experience a shortage of nurses to varying degrees by the year 2015.
According to a report published in November 2004 as a Web exclusive of Health Affairs, Dr. Peter Buerhaus and colleagues found that "despite the increase in employment of nearly 185,000 hospital RNs since 2001, there is no empirical evidence that the nursing shortage has ended. To the contrary, national surveys of RNs and physicians conducted in 2004 found that a clear majority of RNs (82%) and doctors (81%) perceived shortages where they worked."
In a statement released in March 2008, The Council on Physician and Nurse Supply, an independent group of health care leaders based at the University of Pennsylvania, has determined that 30,000 additional nurses should be graduated annually to meet the nation's healthcare needs, an expansion of 30% over the current number of annual nurse graduates.
According to the latest projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published in the November 2007 Monthly Labor Review, more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2016. Government analysts project that more than 587,000 new nursing positions will be created through 2016 (a 23.5% increase), making nursing the nation’s top profession in terms of projected job growth. www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2007/11/art5full.pdf
According to a report released by the American Hospital Association in July 2007, U.S. hospitals need approximately 116,000 RNs to fill vacant positions nationwide. This translates into a national RN vacancy rate of 8.1%. The report, titled The 2007 State of America's Hospitals - Taking the Pulse, also found that 44% of hospital CEOs had more difficulty recruiting RNs in 2006 than in 2005.
Based on finding from the Nursing Management Aging Workforce Survey released in July 2006 by the Bernard Hodes Group, 55% of surveyed nurses reported their intention to retire between 2011 and 2020. The majority of those surveyed were nurse managers.
In April 2006, officials with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released projections that the nation's nursing shortage would grow to more than one million nurses by the year 2020. In the report titled What is Behind HRSA's Projected Supply, Demand, and Shortage of Registered Nurses?, analysts show that all 50 states will experience a shortage of nurses to varying degrees by the year 2015.
According to a report published in November 2004 as a Web exclusive of Health Affairs, Dr. Peter Buerhaus and colleagues found that "despite the increase in employment of nearly 185,000 hospital RNs since 2001, there is no empirical evidence that the nursing shortage has ended. To the contrary, national surveys of RNs and physicians conducted in 2004 found that a clear majority of RNs (82%) and doctors (81%) perceived shortages where they worked."
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Nurses: Take Time for Health and Fitness
As a nurse, you are continually concerned with the welfare of others. The demands on your time for work (your patients), family, education can stretch you in so many directions that it is very easy to neglect the one person that you need to take care of first in order to take care of others – you.
Health and fitness are central to the medical field. As a nurse who treats people on the mend, you emphasize the patient’s need to follow doctor’s orders: Take their medicine, eat right, and get an adequate amount of sleep and exercise. You explain the importance of a good diet and to avoid toxic food and beverages, getting ample sleep and work in a daily exercise regimen. But do we practice what we preach? It seems impossible. What can we do now that will at least get us headed in the right direction?
A proper diet is the first place to start and it does not take any time out of our day to be sure that we are eating healthy. The best motivator may be to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) in order to measure your body fat relative to your height and weight. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ Once you have assessed where you are and where you need to be, the next step would be to create a suitable diet. Build the proper diet using the food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov will create the diet that is right for you. http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html
Next – sleep! This may be more challenging than coming up with the right diet, but sleep deprivation certainly hinders your mental health and is just as important to correct as your nutritional regime. What bad habits keep you from getting to bed when you should? Having something to eat or drink that you can forgo, knowing it will keep you up? Staying up to watch just a little more TV? Engaging in frivolous internet activity? You can start here by simply…going to bed.
Finally, the real challenge – exercise! How do we take time to work out? A much tougher question to answer by mere suggestion. Here is where we really need to find time in our day and then, what exactly do we do? There is truly only one way to implement exercise into your day and that is by dedicating the time needed. If it takes away family time, include family in your workout routine; everyone can go for a walk, go swimming, bike riding and lift weights. You may even find this to be quality family time and open up lines of communication to discuss family issues. The time in front of the TV can be the time we use for exercise. We can argue this time is used to “take our mind off things.” This will still be accomplished during your workout and will achieve the healthier objective of rejuvenating your brain. If you can not pull yourself away from the TV, then how about some calisthenics while watching?
Finalize your health and fitness regimen and keep to your established routine. You do not have to do everything at once but it is imperative to get started. As you get started, implement reminders that there is change in your life. Move your alarm clock to where you need to get “out of bed” to shut it off. This will get you out of bed in the morning (as opposed to giving your workout, to your snooze alarm) as well as being a “reminder.” Write a short shopping list of the nutritional foods you need to buy for your new diet – right now, right a couple of things down! Put that list in your car where you will see it as a reminder that you need to stop at the market on the way home.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
Health and fitness are central to the medical field. As a nurse who treats people on the mend, you emphasize the patient’s need to follow doctor’s orders: Take their medicine, eat right, and get an adequate amount of sleep and exercise. You explain the importance of a good diet and to avoid toxic food and beverages, getting ample sleep and work in a daily exercise regimen. But do we practice what we preach? It seems impossible. What can we do now that will at least get us headed in the right direction?
A proper diet is the first place to start and it does not take any time out of our day to be sure that we are eating healthy. The best motivator may be to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) in order to measure your body fat relative to your height and weight. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ Once you have assessed where you are and where you need to be, the next step would be to create a suitable diet. Build the proper diet using the food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov will create the diet that is right for you. http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html
Next – sleep! This may be more challenging than coming up with the right diet, but sleep deprivation certainly hinders your mental health and is just as important to correct as your nutritional regime. What bad habits keep you from getting to bed when you should? Having something to eat or drink that you can forgo, knowing it will keep you up? Staying up to watch just a little more TV? Engaging in frivolous internet activity? You can start here by simply…going to bed.
Finally, the real challenge – exercise! How do we take time to work out? A much tougher question to answer by mere suggestion. Here is where we really need to find time in our day and then, what exactly do we do? There is truly only one way to implement exercise into your day and that is by dedicating the time needed. If it takes away family time, include family in your workout routine; everyone can go for a walk, go swimming, bike riding and lift weights. You may even find this to be quality family time and open up lines of communication to discuss family issues. The time in front of the TV can be the time we use for exercise. We can argue this time is used to “take our mind off things.” This will still be accomplished during your workout and will achieve the healthier objective of rejuvenating your brain. If you can not pull yourself away from the TV, then how about some calisthenics while watching?
Finalize your health and fitness regimen and keep to your established routine. You do not have to do everything at once but it is imperative to get started. As you get started, implement reminders that there is change in your life. Move your alarm clock to where you need to get “out of bed” to shut it off. This will get you out of bed in the morning (as opposed to giving your workout, to your snooze alarm) as well as being a “reminder.” Write a short shopping list of the nutritional foods you need to buy for your new diet – right now, right a couple of things down! Put that list in your car where you will see it as a reminder that you need to stop at the market on the way home.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Overview of Nursing School Programs
By Lisa Parker
If you are interested in obtaining a degree in nursing, you could not have picked a better time. Nurses are in great demand today, and with people living longer, that demand is likely to increase in the coming years. Nursing school programs can be characterized by the type of degree they offer, and although there are actually 5 degree types that one can obtain as a nurse, the more popular degrees are the Associate's and the bachelor's. However, if you are interested in newer professions such as forensic nursing, there are also certificate programs. Maybe you are considering legal consultation or teaching and you may even decide to get your master's degree. The other defining characteristic is whether you are in an online or distance learning program, or taking courses at a traditional college or university.The Associate's degree programs focus predominately on teaching students what is needed to prepare them to enter the workforce with the skills of a professional nurse. Their education typically has four major components, which consist of evaluation of care, health teaching, wellness and prevention, and the administration of treatments and medications. The evaluation component includes observation, nursing diagnosis, assessment, and intervention. The main focus of the Associate's degree is for their student to achieve employment either while in school or directly after graduation. Although it is not a requirement, most nursing programs for a bachelor's degree operate from the assumption that most of their students are registered nurses and/or they have already obtained their Associate's degree in nursing. The focus of these programs is to prepare students for a higher position, such as a supervisory role, or to enter into a master's degree program. These programs usually revolve around the cultural, political, economic and social issues that can affect patients and the health care industry in general. There is also a focus on understanding the allocation and management of resources, which includes but is not limited to, people, money, and time. The most common variations of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing or a student's route to this degree include going from an RN to a bachelor's degree. Other variations include the accelerated bachelor's program, LPN to a bachelor's, the traditional 4-year bachelor's, the online RN – bachelor's degree, and the second-degree bachelor's program. The master's degree program revolves around the type of career you want, as you can get a master's degree that focuses on a more specific nursing path such as, Nursing, Nurse Education, Midwifery, Administration, and Health Care Systems Management. If your focus revolves around Nursing, Nursing Education, Midwifery, or any other similar specialty, your training should focus more on the actual health and expanding upon the knowledge received in your previous educational programs. If you have decided on receiving a masters degree with a focus on Leadership in Healthcare Systems, Nursing Administration, Health Care Systems Management, or any other similar specialty, your program should focus on management, leadership, finance, managed care strategies, workforce management, and other courses designed to prepare students for obtaining leadership positions in their chosen health care organization.
It is important to note that in the field of nursing many programs often offer certificates as well as degree programs. The certificate programs are more specialized than degree programs and there are certificates that can be obtained before you receive a bachelor's degree or after you gain your master's degree. Some of the certificate programs that are pre-master's degree include case management and geriatric care management. A few certificates for those with a master's degree include legal nurse consulting and life care planning. Most online schools and traditional colleges and universities also offer more specialized programs like the Nurse Practitioner program and Clinical Nursing Specialist programs. As other nursing careers and specialties gain popularity, you should begin seeing more degree and/or certificate programs available in the field of Nursing. Unlike online programs, colleges and universities can boast a combination of classroom training, lab work, and on the job experience as a part of their programs. Although this has been the greatest advantage of traditional schooling, some online programs are starting to catch up, especially the distance learning programs. One of the greatest selling points of distance learning offered by traditional colleges and/or universities is the ability to graduate or "walk" with their traditional program peers. Yet, the main draw of complete online programs is the ability to gain a degree on your own time that works with your schedule while allowing you to work a full time job. Take your time and financial situation into account before settling in on a program. Regardless of the certificate or degree program that you choose, be sure that you pick a program that is good for you. There are many options available in the field of nursing and this information can help you find the correct path to the degree that you are seeking.
Lisa Parker is a freelance writer who writes about topics pertaining to nurses and the nursing profession including nursing school and nursing accessories.
If you are interested in obtaining a degree in nursing, you could not have picked a better time. Nurses are in great demand today, and with people living longer, that demand is likely to increase in the coming years. Nursing school programs can be characterized by the type of degree they offer, and although there are actually 5 degree types that one can obtain as a nurse, the more popular degrees are the Associate's and the bachelor's. However, if you are interested in newer professions such as forensic nursing, there are also certificate programs. Maybe you are considering legal consultation or teaching and you may even decide to get your master's degree. The other defining characteristic is whether you are in an online or distance learning program, or taking courses at a traditional college or university.The Associate's degree programs focus predominately on teaching students what is needed to prepare them to enter the workforce with the skills of a professional nurse. Their education typically has four major components, which consist of evaluation of care, health teaching, wellness and prevention, and the administration of treatments and medications. The evaluation component includes observation, nursing diagnosis, assessment, and intervention. The main focus of the Associate's degree is for their student to achieve employment either while in school or directly after graduation. Although it is not a requirement, most nursing programs for a bachelor's degree operate from the assumption that most of their students are registered nurses and/or they have already obtained their Associate's degree in nursing. The focus of these programs is to prepare students for a higher position, such as a supervisory role, or to enter into a master's degree program. These programs usually revolve around the cultural, political, economic and social issues that can affect patients and the health care industry in general. There is also a focus on understanding the allocation and management of resources, which includes but is not limited to, people, money, and time. The most common variations of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing or a student's route to this degree include going from an RN to a bachelor's degree. Other variations include the accelerated bachelor's program, LPN to a bachelor's, the traditional 4-year bachelor's, the online RN – bachelor's degree, and the second-degree bachelor's program. The master's degree program revolves around the type of career you want, as you can get a master's degree that focuses on a more specific nursing path such as, Nursing, Nurse Education, Midwifery, Administration, and Health Care Systems Management. If your focus revolves around Nursing, Nursing Education, Midwifery, or any other similar specialty, your training should focus more on the actual health and expanding upon the knowledge received in your previous educational programs. If you have decided on receiving a masters degree with a focus on Leadership in Healthcare Systems, Nursing Administration, Health Care Systems Management, or any other similar specialty, your program should focus on management, leadership, finance, managed care strategies, workforce management, and other courses designed to prepare students for obtaining leadership positions in their chosen health care organization.
It is important to note that in the field of nursing many programs often offer certificates as well as degree programs. The certificate programs are more specialized than degree programs and there are certificates that can be obtained before you receive a bachelor's degree or after you gain your master's degree. Some of the certificate programs that are pre-master's degree include case management and geriatric care management. A few certificates for those with a master's degree include legal nurse consulting and life care planning. Most online schools and traditional colleges and universities also offer more specialized programs like the Nurse Practitioner program and Clinical Nursing Specialist programs. As other nursing careers and specialties gain popularity, you should begin seeing more degree and/or certificate programs available in the field of Nursing. Unlike online programs, colleges and universities can boast a combination of classroom training, lab work, and on the job experience as a part of their programs. Although this has been the greatest advantage of traditional schooling, some online programs are starting to catch up, especially the distance learning programs. One of the greatest selling points of distance learning offered by traditional colleges and/or universities is the ability to graduate or "walk" with their traditional program peers. Yet, the main draw of complete online programs is the ability to gain a degree on your own time that works with your schedule while allowing you to work a full time job. Take your time and financial situation into account before settling in on a program. Regardless of the certificate or degree program that you choose, be sure that you pick a program that is good for you. There are many options available in the field of nursing and this information can help you find the correct path to the degree that you are seeking.
Lisa Parker is a freelance writer who writes about topics pertaining to nurses and the nursing profession including nursing school and nursing accessories.
Monday, January 19, 2009
PHEF & The Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund
Purpose
The Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation was established to provide assistance to students and schools for nursing education in Pennsylvania. The fund will provide grant and scholarship monies to nursing students through the use of donations from individuals and organizations directed to Pennsylvania schools of nursing.
Overview
Until recently, the equilibrium of new nurses entering the profession versus tenured nurses retiring remained stable. However, the cycle of quality health care will quickly decline because although demands on the nursing profession are increasing, new entries in the profession are not keeping pace with planned retirements.
Through the Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation hopes to reverse this trend by giving students access to nursing education by offering grants or scholarships that otherwise would not be available.
The Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund will directly impact the number of educational opportunities students and schools will have to help the Commonwealth continue its cycle of quality health care.
There are numerous flexible giving opportunities for donors to participate in this fund with specific schools, student populations and programs in mind, based on individual interests and relationships. Scholarship and grant naming opportunities as well as generous matching funds from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation are available to foundation, corporate and individual donors.
Guidelines
For information on guidelines, or to find out if your institution is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund, contact your school’s nursing department. Contact the Foundation office for more information on giving opportunities.
The Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation was established to provide assistance to students and schools for nursing education in Pennsylvania. The fund will provide grant and scholarship monies to nursing students through the use of donations from individuals and organizations directed to Pennsylvania schools of nursing.
Overview
Until recently, the equilibrium of new nurses entering the profession versus tenured nurses retiring remained stable. However, the cycle of quality health care will quickly decline because although demands on the nursing profession are increasing, new entries in the profession are not keeping pace with planned retirements.
Through the Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation hopes to reverse this trend by giving students access to nursing education by offering grants or scholarships that otherwise would not be available.
The Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund will directly impact the number of educational opportunities students and schools will have to help the Commonwealth continue its cycle of quality health care.
There are numerous flexible giving opportunities for donors to participate in this fund with specific schools, student populations and programs in mind, based on individual interests and relationships. Scholarship and grant naming opportunities as well as generous matching funds from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation are available to foundation, corporate and individual donors.
Guidelines
For information on guidelines, or to find out if your institution is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund, contact your school’s nursing department. Contact the Foundation office for more information on giving opportunities.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Facts About Nursing Shortage
A report entitled “Projected Supply, Demand, and Shortages of Registered Nurses: 2000-2020” alleged:
Based on what is known about trends in the supply of Registered Nurses and their anticipated demand, nursing shortage is expected to grow relatively slowly until 2010, by which time it will have reached 12 percent. At that point demand will begin to exceed supply at an accelerated rate and by 2015 the shortage, a relatively modest 6 percent in the year 2000, will have almost quadrupled to 20 percent.
American hospitals are in a serious crisis, from large numbers of uninsured patients to spiraling costs, from outlandishly expensive prescription drugs to a severe and dangerous shortage of nurses. Emergency rooms are shutting down, surgeries are delayed and, most disturbing of all, patients are sometimes not getting the critical care they desperately need.
There are many factors behind the nursing shortage. Unlike a generation or two ago, young women with an aptitude for sciences now have a multitude of career opportunities to choose from. Many of the other career choices today involve less stressful and less strenuous work than bedside nursing. Generally speaking, a position with a managed-care company or a pharmaceutical sales job is less physically demanding than nursing.
The need for nurses is often depicted as cyclical in nature. Throughout history, the USA has experienced a series of nursing surpluses and shortages. However, the current nursing shortage has been characterized as being unlike those experienced in the past. Trends of an ageing RN/ Registered Nurse workforce and limited supply to fill the impending vacancies are some of the unique aspects that bring a new dimension to an old problem. Today's nursing shortage will not be resolved by simply returning to the solutions of yesteryear, and strategies to reduce its impact will have to be more creative and focus on the long-term.
The widely publicized nursing shortage in the United States is largely a result of three factors: the aging population of nurses; the aging population in the U.S.; and a shift in healthcare delivery away from doctors, towards skilled nurses. Also are four major contributors to the nursing shortage in the USA: the ageing RN workforce; declining enrolment; changing work climate; and the poor image of nursing.
Solutions to the shortage followed similar themes to the contributing factors and encompassed four main areas: exploring recruitment efforts; exploring retainment efforts; improving the image of nursing; and supporting legislation that helps to rectify the shortage.
As new career options grow for women over the past few decades, and fewer women choose to go into nursing, another shortage begins to emerge. All of these factors point to the fact that the nursing shortage won't be reversed overnight.
Based on what is known about trends in the supply of Registered Nurses and their anticipated demand, nursing shortage is expected to grow relatively slowly until 2010, by which time it will have reached 12 percent. At that point demand will begin to exceed supply at an accelerated rate and by 2015 the shortage, a relatively modest 6 percent in the year 2000, will have almost quadrupled to 20 percent.
American hospitals are in a serious crisis, from large numbers of uninsured patients to spiraling costs, from outlandishly expensive prescription drugs to a severe and dangerous shortage of nurses. Emergency rooms are shutting down, surgeries are delayed and, most disturbing of all, patients are sometimes not getting the critical care they desperately need.
There are many factors behind the nursing shortage. Unlike a generation or two ago, young women with an aptitude for sciences now have a multitude of career opportunities to choose from. Many of the other career choices today involve less stressful and less strenuous work than bedside nursing. Generally speaking, a position with a managed-care company or a pharmaceutical sales job is less physically demanding than nursing.
The need for nurses is often depicted as cyclical in nature. Throughout history, the USA has experienced a series of nursing surpluses and shortages. However, the current nursing shortage has been characterized as being unlike those experienced in the past. Trends of an ageing RN/ Registered Nurse workforce and limited supply to fill the impending vacancies are some of the unique aspects that bring a new dimension to an old problem. Today's nursing shortage will not be resolved by simply returning to the solutions of yesteryear, and strategies to reduce its impact will have to be more creative and focus on the long-term.
The widely publicized nursing shortage in the United States is largely a result of three factors: the aging population of nurses; the aging population in the U.S.; and a shift in healthcare delivery away from doctors, towards skilled nurses. Also are four major contributors to the nursing shortage in the USA: the ageing RN workforce; declining enrolment; changing work climate; and the poor image of nursing.
Solutions to the shortage followed similar themes to the contributing factors and encompassed four main areas: exploring recruitment efforts; exploring retainment efforts; improving the image of nursing; and supporting legislation that helps to rectify the shortage.
As new career options grow for women over the past few decades, and fewer women choose to go into nursing, another shortage begins to emerge. All of these factors point to the fact that the nursing shortage won't be reversed overnight.
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