The Nursing Shortage

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the shortage of experienced nurses in hospitals throughout the United States. The paper describes the consequences of this shortage, which include emergency department overcrowding and surgery cancellation. The paper explains the factors driving this shortage, which include the aging of the current nurse workforce and an ongoing drop in the enrollment in baccalaureate and master's degree nursing programs. The paper discusses how the inability of younger RNs to replace the aging baby-boom RNs suggest that the demographic forces underpinning the RN labor market will not ease for many years to come. Therefore, resolving these shortages will not be easy and are likely to require long-term and highly innovative initiatives.

From the Paper:

"The United States is facing a critical shortage of registered nurses, and by the year 2020, the average RN vacancy rate in the U.S. will be 20 percent (Mikhail 2005). The shortage of registered nurses has contributed to emergency department overcrowding, increased hospital diversions, bed and patient care unite closures and surgery cancellation, and poses a clear threat to trauma center viability (Mikhail 2005). According to the April 01, 2005 issue of Journal of Trauma Nursing, the problem can be framed as the classic supply and demand dilemma (Mikhail 2005)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Auerbach, David I. (2000 May 01). Why Are Shortages of Hospital RNs Concentrated in Specialty Care Units? Nursing Economics. Retrieved March 24 2006 from HighBeam Research Library Web site.
• Mikhail, Judy. (2005 April 01). The nursing shortage: clear and present danger. Journal of Trauma Nursing. Retrieved March 24 2006 from HighBeam Research Library Web site.
• Miller, Neale. (1999 May 01). Leadership Roundtable.(nursing shortage, hospital labor contracts, patient care statistics). Nursing Economics. Retrieved March 24 2006 from HighBeam Research Library Web site.
• Rivers, Patrick A; Tsai, Kai-Li; Rivers, Patrick A; Tsai, Kai-Li; Munchus, George. (2005 April 01). The Financial Impacts of the Nursing Shortage. Journal of Health Care Finance. Retrieved March 24 2006 from HighBeam Research Library Web site.

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