Nur 531 Week 2 Scarce Resources

Scarce Resources Article

Kassandra Snow

NUR/531

May 4th, 2015

Greg Friesz

Scarce Resources Article

Nursing is a complicated, fast-paced, trustworthy, hard but rewarding profession that takes a special type of person to enjoy and excel in. Unfortunately, there is a nursing shortage being experienced right now in the United States. I have chosen the article “Digging Deeper: Nursing Excess or Shortage? The Effect on a New Nurse” to provide and editorial response. The importance of the issue, five influencing factors, and consequences of not addressing nursing shortage, an applicable nursing theory for the nursing shortage cause and resolution and finally a new solution to the problem will all be addressed.

Nursing Shortage Issue

Within the article “Digging Deeper: Nursing Excess or Shortage? The Effect on a New Nurse”, Sephel (2011) questions whether or not there is actually a nursing shortage at this time. She states that because of the large amount of advertising, new nursing programs and increased amount of graduating nursing there has been a discrepancy in the numbers presented supporting the proposed nursing shortage (p. 390). I happen to disagree with the author even questioning the nursing shortage as an issue today. Studies have shown that by 2025, there is a projected shortage of 500,000 to 1 million nurses in the healthcare field (Sephel, 2011, p.390). Millan (2012) projected that by 2025, there would be a shortage of 260,000 full-time employed nurses alone (p. 59). Sigma Theta Tau has mentioned that this nursing shortage is unlike any shortage in the past in that if we don’t address the issue we will have to face the 20% deficit in registered nurses by 2020 (Goodin, 2003, p. 335). The numbers may vary in the prediction of how bad the nursing shortage may be, but the overall theme is that the nursing shortage is present and will continue to worsen. In order to provide ammunition for my argument that there is a nursing shortage, five influencing factors that have contributed to the nursing shortage will be presented.

Five Influencing Factors

Ageing Work Force

There are multiple factors that can lead to the nursing shortage that is on the horizon, or even already present in certain states. The five most recognized influencing factors are the number of retiring baby boomer nurses, decreased faculty for nursing institutions, decreased nursing enrollment, lack of ethnic diversity in nursing and high turnover rates for new nurses. It is no secret that the population of baby boomers is a large number in the United States. Goodin (2003) found that the averaging age of the employed RN is rising, and most RN’s employed at this time were born in the baby boomer generation. With this average age being between late sixties to early fifties many, RN’s will plan on retiring within the next five to ten years if they haven’t already (p. 336). This creates the large deficit in nursing positions needed by hospitals, out-patient clinics, nursing homes and also faculty.

Decreasing Faculty Numbers

Due to the rising age of the RN’s in the United States, there is a large effect on faculty employed to teach in nursing institutions. The general population of instructors of nursing can be referred to as “the greying professoriate”. Goodin (2003) found that due to a large trend of nurses waiting until later in age to pursue higher degrees needed for teaching in nursing institutions, less staff is available to hire (p. 336). Attracting qualified persons to teach can also be due to the less than desirable salary associated with teaching. Recruitment numbers for faculty will fall if salaries do not increase.

Decreasing Enrollment numbers

Enrollment in nursing schools (both BSN and MSN) have been trending down in the past few decades. As mentioned above the amount of faculty is also decreasing. This directly affects the enrollment allotments to nursing institutions. If there are less faculty to teach the high demand of nurses needed to graduate, adequate education will not happen. Goodin (2003) found that since 1995 enrollment to baccalaureate programs has decreased by 21.1% and the amount of graduating nurses who take their boards has also decreased by 26% from 1995 to 2001. In the past 20 years, the nursing profession has had the slowest incline of any workforce (p. 337).

Decreased Ethnic Diversity

Nursing as a profession provides care for a countless amount of people