Abstract
This paper describes the nursing shortage in the United States and elsewhere, and reviews literature pertaining to the underlying factors behind it. The author also explains how this impacts on the emergency department setting and provides some solutions as to how this factor could be overcome.

From the Paper
"The nursing shortage in the United States and elsewhere is not a new phenomenon. This shortage can be traced to several factors, including those pertaining to personal and financial equity, the presence of more lucrative career options, high attrition rates of new graduates and personal satisfaction. With the coming realization that the health care infrastructure of the Unites States is less than satisfactory and more and more in danger of collapse as the "baby boomer" generation retires, health care professionals, particularly nurses, face an even bigger dilemma.
"Veteran" nurses in an emergency department setting are invaluable members of this particular department, particularly due to their clinical expertise and knowledge of department operations. They are the long-term staff that man, administer and manage the department even as other transient health care staff such as physicians-in-training come and go, they are indispensable repositories of operational knowledge changed and refined over the years to serve the community within which the hospital is based. While global turnover rates for nurses remain higher than other professions, those that choose to remain within the emergency department have a responsibility to pass on their knowledge to novices working within their department, regardless of profession. Nurses with substantial clinical experience in the same setting for years on end often set standards upon newer staff. These are important when one considers the relatively fast-paced tempo of any given emergency department. Acute patient cases are triaged, seen and examined, assessed, immediately treated, worked up for more diagnostics and discharged or admitted for observation with the intended goal of seeing all consults and giving them a definite disposition. An emergency care unit accomplishes this by ensuring a constant flow of patients in and out of its domain in order to be prepared for more urgent cases. The multiple roles of emergency department nurses, while demanding and at times stressful and complex, require staff that has acquired experience in this field as well as operational experience unique to the department."

Tags:triage, out-patient, dependence

Abstract
The paper argues that the increasing workload on nurses seen in the past decade in the US has lead to a significant decrease in patient care overall. The paper discusses the increased rate of hospital acquired infections and 30-day mortality rates and the cost inefficiencies that arise from these infections, from nurses taking an increased number of sick days, most often because they are burnt out or emotionally exhausted and from families of the patients who sue the hospital for inadequate nursing. The paper offers recommendations for a hospital short-staffed in terms of nurses and predicts that the nursing shortage across the country will only worsen in the next decade.

From the Paper
"The United States health care system is currently under great duress. Physicians are working overtime and not being compensated; insurance companies are paying more now than ever due to the increasing rates of diabetes and other diseases in the country, and patients themselves are visiting their family physician or local ER more often than ever before. As a result, the bulk of the workload is being placed on a core group of individuals whose efforts are often overlooked: nurses. Nursing staff at any hospital spend more time in contact with a patient than all other hospital staff members combined. As such, they provide the bulk of patient care on a daily basis."

Tags:infections, morbidity, mortality, burnout, stress

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that while the universal perceived shortage of health care personnel is serious in that its major impacts on health care delivery can be felt by patients directly, no other profession is harder hit than the nursing profession. The writer discusses the effects of the shortage of nurses concentrating on an emergency department. The organization selected for discussion is the emergency department of a community-based teaching hospital that provides tertiary care for the surrounding community and most of the county. The writer concludes that while it is understandable that operations cannot be encumbered by inexperienced personnel, the core values of nurses as coaches and mentors should be shown as an example for younger staff to follow and respect, regardless of the situation or even the fact that the hospital is not a full-fledged teaching institution unto itself.

Outline:
Introduction
Problem Identification
Leadership Behaviors
Cultural Diversity Issues
Problem Resolution and Recommendations for Improvement
Implications and Conclusions

From the Paper
"To increase the number of candidates, the experience criteria was dropped, favoring new graduates on the premise that they could be more easily taught to conform to the system instead of more experienced nurses firmly set in the manner in which they practice. Although the nurse managers maintained an open-door policy, this was rarely utilized by the junior nurses in voicing their complaints."
"The senior nurses, who had been practicing in the department for several years, were recognized as informal leaders on the floor and were valued for their operational, "field" input. This was almost always the charge nurse and one other senior per shift. They also adapted the leadership style of their superiors, as department operations were already efficient enough to run without management and coordination."

Tags:practice, professionals, treatment, staff

Abstract
In this article, the writer first looks at the background to the shortage in nursing staff. The writer discusses that in order to deal with growth within hospitals and in the health care industry, hospital administrators made cuts. The writer maintains that reductions were made in the nursing labor force as a way to control funds. The writer then looks at the effects and approaches to the nursing shortage.

From the Paper
"Over the past few decades hospitals began to see themselves as competitive businesses that needed to grow and become prosperous in the health care industry. In order to achieve this growth and prosperity hospital leaders determined that merging with other hospitals to form systems or conglomerates would be the most effective route. Yet, in order to accomplish this task the hospital administrators had to provide funding for their endeavor. Consequently it was found that one of the highest costs for the hospitals was labor, specifically nursing labor. Therefore, after some deliberation these hospital conglomerates elected to begin to reduce their nursing labor workforce in order to achieve the financial results that they desired."

Tags:nursing, shortage, health

Abstract
In this article, the writer focuses on the effect of the present and sustained shortage of nursing personnel within the medical community. The study also includes a discussion as to the present shortage of multidisciplinary nursing personnel; i.e., nurses trained in more than one specialty, gender disparity and retention and recruitment. Following a discussion of the identified nursing shortage and possible solutions, a Fishbone Chart is presented. This chart systematically lists the major different causes of the nursing shortage which contribute to the problem. Further, the chart relates to the shortage cause and effect situation and provides an informational data sheet presentation. The writer concludes that without a concentrated effort on the part of the medical community, educational institutions, and federal government the scarcity of nurses will continue to rise.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Data Chart on Nursing Shortage
References

From the Paper
"As nurses can no longer solely rely on the traditional nursing practices to deliver patient care, a resolution to the shortage issue is first found in the development of a health care marketing plan that targets individuals who have a basic interest in nursing. Such a plan must include all the components necessary to attract well- qualified people, namely image, diversity, employment stability, benefits, working conditions, and educational assistance. No longer is it a simple case, for example, that an institution may have 20 nursing positions to fill, but rather that they have specialized nursing positions to fill such as; 5 surgical nurse positions, 10 pediatric nurse positions and 4 oncology nurse positions. The fact is, many nursing positions are highly specialized, and simply adding additional functions to a nurses' ever-increasing list of responsibilities is not an adequate solution to the nursing shortage. In addition, failing to recognize the need for nurse specialties compounds the nursing shortage issue."

Tags:nurses, health, care, medical, service

Abstract
This paper explores the issue of the nursing shortage from a critical feminist perspective, Everett Rogers' model of "diffusion of innovations", and transformational leadership. The paper asserts that all nurses today can and must assume leadership positions in every area of health care delivery and reform. It adds that nursing leaders today must be fully informed of the issues affecting their organization and also must be capable of anticipating future change. The paper explains that a transformational leader is able to create an innovative type of supportive environment that is marked by effective communication and recognition of human resources as well as diversity and individual differences. The transformational leader is also able to influence commitment both at the individual and organizational level so that organizational goals can be achieved. The paper concludes that the solution to the current nursing shortage can only come about through the level of motivation and inspiration which the transformational leader can provide.

Outline:
Introduction
The Nature of the Issue
Literature Review
Analysis of the Issue
Change Theory
Transformational Leadership
Conclusion

From the Paper
"According to Beugre (2006), transformational leadership can be defined as "a leadership type in which leaders possess charisma and provide intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and inspirational motivation to followers". The RNAO (2004, p. 1) defines leadership as "a combination of sound knowledge, an unwavering passion for a cause, and the courage to share these with others". In contrast to the transformational leader the transactional leader tends to try and control others instead of motivating them. The transformational leader is able to create a supportive environment by providing others with inspiration and focusing on human resources (Skelton-Green, 2006). The transformational leader is able to inspire a deep commitment in others through intrinsic motivation as a result of the value and importance of that leader's goals. The transformational leader's approach to inspiring acceptance of innovation is through the development of trust and openness (Aarons, 2006). The importance of transformational leadership at the present time is that nurses come to realize that a new image of the nursing profession is possible. As Beugre (2006) maintains, the leader through means of inspirational motivation is able to energize the members of the organization even under the most stressful conditions."

Tags:transactional, leader, nurse

Abstract
This paper explains that one of the reasons for the shortage of nurses (RNs) in the United States is the expanding demands of the aging population as well as the advancing age of the nurses themselves. Next, the author evaluates potential solutions of the nursing shortage situation. The paper stresses that an effective solution to this shortage would be for hospitals to hire Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) not as a replacement for RNs but for general health care services within the LPN's skill set, such as perform vital signs, baths and checking IV.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Uncovering the Problem
Solutions to Nursing Shortage
Possible Economic Solutions to Nursing Shortage
Pros and Cons of Solutions
Most Effective Solution
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Congress introduced the TNT program, also known as the Troops to nurse program. It was developed to address the nursing shortage, which could reach nearly 500,000 by 2025. It would offer financial incentive to nursing schools to collaborate with the military since both since both civilian and military recruitment for nurses are below goal. The legislation would pay the nursing schools to train the military nurse, which would relieve much of the financial burden on the student, and once the student is done with an agreed tour of duty they would be already trained to work in the private sector."

Tags:lpn, patient safety, working environment, costs educator

Abstract
This paper addresses the problem that health care risk management has not been utilized effectively in relation to nurses, who were once valued as the pivotal health care providers in the medical field. The paper claims that, as hospital systems began to feel the competition associated with globalization, administrators sought to obtain funding that would allow them to become conglomerates and have a dominant strength in the health care system nationwide. In order to obtain this funding hospitals and health care centers believed that the most effective method was to reduce staffing and equipment costs. Nurses were primarily affected and, over time, the situation was further impacted by nurses that left the field out of frustration, retirement, or migration to other countries. This nursing shortage, consequently, has had a negative effect on patients and the risk of increased patient injuries. The research maintains that this nursing shortage is one of the most significant issues that exists in health care today. Risk analysis indicates that there are no positive factors associated with the nursing shortage, but that there are solutions to the issue that all health care facilities can consider in changing their environments. The paper concludes that the most important method of addressing the issue is clearly altering the hospital system to demonstrate greater appreciation for professional nurses and to focus on personnel rather than on funding.

From the Paper
"Although it has been a trend over the last few decades for health care systems to ignore the needs of their nurses, according to McCormick (2006) this philosophy is changing (sec. 1). This is because it is becoming evident that while nurses may feel a connection to nursing or have worked in the profession for a long time, they also realize that they have other career choices that are less stressful and that will meet their economic needs. Yet, McCormick (2006) suggests that this belief will cease among nurses when the health care systems of the country do all that is within their power to protect the qualified nurses that exist today."

Tags:health, care, system

Abstract
This paper discusses workplace stress and its contribution to the nursing shortage in the United States. It describes the serious nature of this nursing shortage and the importance of finding effective means of addressing it. The paper then analyzes whether increasing nurses' salaries will affect positive change in nurses' job satisfaction and thus help reduce the nursing shortage.

Table of Contents:
Abstract
Purpose of the Research Effort
Rationale and Relevance of the Problem
Literature Review
Proposed Study Design
Instruments/Data Collection
Demonstration of Critical Thinking

From the Paper
"This proposed study design demonstrates critical thinking through applying analysis of retention rates to the status of the nursing population. It is hypothesized that if the wage increase is effective, it is sufficient to compensate for the stresses associated with nursing and there will be a permanent overall retention of the nursing work force. If it is not sufficient, it is hypothesized that the nurses will not remain at that one hospital. This provides a foundation for engaging hospital administrators in a debate over the severity of stress for nurses and whether financial incentives are sufficient to compensate for stress in the long term setting."

Tags:hospital, wages, retention

Abstract
The paper discusses the current shortage in trained, experienced nursing professionals within the United States and assers that if left unchecked, this shortage has the potential to manifest into a crisis and negatively impact the quality of care provided to patients. The paper looks at the data that indicates that helping professions such as nursing have high levels of job-related stress associated with job duties and interactions with patients and their families. The paper discusses how increasing nurses' salaries is often used as a strategy to affect positive change in nursing, but it is not recognized how effective this strategy is in practice.

From the Paper
"There is a current shortage in trained, experienced nursing professionals within the United States. If left unchecked, this shortage has the potential to manifest into a crisis and negatively impact the quality of care provided to patients. Data indicates that helping professions such as nursing have high levels of job-related stress associated with job duties and interactions with patients and their families. Increasing nurses' salaries is often used as a strategy to affect positive change in nursing, but it is not recognized how effective this strategy is in practice."

Tags:nursing, shortage, wages