Running Head: EMPLOYMENT TREND IN HEALTH CARE
Employment Trends: Nurse Staffing Shortages in Health Care
Employment Trends: Nurse Staffing Shortages in Health Care
One of the most worrisome employment trends facing the United States health care industry today is a major staffing shortage, specifically in the field of nursing. This shortage is not a new concern but has been on the minds of most hospital administrators, clinical staff, educators, and state and federal governments for many years especially as projected numbers for the next 10-15 years continue to look bleak.
The reason so many are concerned over this shortage is simple, highly trained and educated health care workers like RN’s who have a baccalaureate level of education or above result in a higher level of patient care, patient satisfaction, and lower mortality rates due to medical errors. Numerous studies have been conducted that support this, including one done by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2007) which found that ‘the shortage of registered nurses, in combination with an increased workload, poses a potential threat to the quality of care being delivered’. The need for registered nurses (RN), especially ones who have a baccalaureate or higher education will continue to rise over the next 10+ years due to high patient demand for medical services. The ability to educate the appropriate levels of nurses needed to fulfill this demand is hindered by various factors including the aging and retirement of the baby-boomer generation, a struggling education system, and deployment issues within health care organizations.
The Boomers
The approximate 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 are known as the baby boomer generation. The baby-boomers are the largest generation in our countries history, representing 28% of the US population (US Census, 2005). To give perspective on just how big this group of Americans is, the generation that followed, named Generation... [continues]
Running Head: EMPLOYMENT TREND IN HEALTH CARE
Employment Trends: Nurse Staffing Shortages in Health Care
Employment Trends: Nurse Staffing Shortages in Health Care
One of the most worrisome employment trends facing the United States health care industry today is a major staffing shortage, specifically in the field of nursing. This shortage is not a new concern but has been on the minds of most hospital administrators, clinical staff, educators, and state and federal governments for many years especially as projected numbers for the next 10-15 years continue to look bleak.
The reason so many are concerned over this shortage is simple, highly trained and educated health care workers like RN’s who have a baccalaureate level of education or above result in a higher level of patient care, patient satisfaction, and lower mortality rates due to medical errors. Numerous studies have been conducted that support this, including one done by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2007) which found that ‘the shortage of registered nurses, in combination with an increased workload, poses a potential threat to the quality of care being delivered’. The need for registered nurses (RN), especially ones who have a baccalaureate or higher education will continue to rise over the next 10+ years due to high patient demand for medical services. The ability to educate the appropriate levels of nurses needed to fulfill this demand is hindered by various factors including the aging and retirement of the baby-boomer generation, a struggling education system, and deployment issues within health care organizations.
The Boomers
The approximate 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 are known as the baby boomer generation. The baby-boomers are the largest generation in our countries history, representing 28% of the US population (US Census, 2005). To give perspective on just how big this group of Americans is, the generation that followed, named Generation... [continues]
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"Us Nursing Shortages." StudyMode.com. 06, 2009. Accessed 06, 2009. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Us-Nursing-Shortages-215247.html.
