Mariama Koroma 09-22-09 Topic: The Impact Of Shortage Of Nurses Thesis Statement: The need for professional nurses is growing but the number of nurses continues to decline; this paper will take a careful look at the impact of the shortage of nurses in health care delivery. The growing professional shortage presents the most significant problem for the health care system today. An adequate supply of professional nurses is vital in ensuring access to quality in health care now and to the patient in the future. Study has shown that the labor market has undergone significant changes during the last decade. According to the study in the early 1990s(……………………………...) there was national shortage of professional nurses(…….).
17, Issue 31). There is a direct correlation between poverty and rising health care costs that make it hard to afford the health care that is need for a family. This author wants to explore the affects this is having on our children, marriage and domestically. Review of literature Over the past 30 years researchers have demonstrated that the number of Americans without health insurance- mostly lower class has steadily risen. Economists estimate about 2 trillion will be spent on medical care in 2007.
The changes in government programs such as Medicare caused a reduction of gross patient service revenue. Research funding was not covering 100% its own expenses, having to use clinical revenues to cover them and subsequently affecting education programs. Analysis Although well distinguished for their highly specialized tertiary and quaternary care, both hospitals faced similar rate drops in the percentage of utilized beds. BWH rate dropped from 88.7% in 1988 to 79.6% in 1993. At MGH the decline was 87.6% in 1988 to 78.4% in 1993 as well.
Since the late 1980’s the demand for nurses has been escalating as the numbers of nurses in the field have dropped (Buerhaus, 1987). A quick fix to the nursing shortage has been to bring nurses to the U.S. from abroad and in recent years nearly one-third of new nurses were not born in the United States (Herbst, 2007). But critics say this is only a short term fix to a long-term problem and the reasons for the nursing shortage must be addressed. When hospitals fill their nursing needs with foreigners who will work at lower wages they make their investors happy with their returns, but they also prevent the needed wage hike that would draw more Americans into the field and solve the shortage in the future (Herbst, 2007). Below par wages are not the only reason nursing positions are hard to fill, nurses have a job that requires physical as well as mental strength and their employers must provide good working conditions to retain nurses.
As Baby Boomers grow old and the necessity for health care expands, the United States is expected to have a shortage of nurses. The shortage of nurses has been taking place since World War II, but the major impact to the health care systems have only started to show the past few years. According to Rosseter (2010), “Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing college and universities across the country are struggling to expand enrollment levels to meet the rising demand for nursing care” (p. 1). The reason for this is because there are not many educators to teach nursing. A future concern is the need of nurses is imagined to increase drastically over the next 25 years when the Baby Boomers arrive in their 60s.The common age for registered nurses (RN) is around 45 so the demand for nurses will continue to rise.
Hilary Clinton, a Democratic candidate for the 2008 presidential election, in her speech “Economy: Solutions for the American Economy” (Jan. 24, 2008), claims that the Bush administration stood still while the economy slowly started to go into a recession, and now it is up to us, the American people to make the right choice and elect a new President who will bring us back onto our feet. She supports her position first, by using examples of families losing their homes to high interest rates, this is intended to try to bond with the families who had that happen already or is close to having that happen, second, she uses statistics to confirm the economic recession and by doing this she brings credibility to herself for knowing that our economy is in danger, and she (if elected president) could help, third, she uses a lot of ad hominem in her speech, constantly referring to how President Bush is irresponsible and uncaring for not doing anything, lastly, she includes all of the ways she would make the economy better so she does not seem like she just wants to be president without an agenda. Her main purpose for writing this speech is to inform all the Americans who are in trouble, that they are not forgotten, she still knows they are their and she wants to reach out to everyone facing problems. Clinton has a very caring and empathetic tone in her speech, she intended audience would be middle class Americans because these are the people who are being affected the most by the foreclosures, interest rates, taxes and unemployment; these are the people who she wants to
One of the advantages of becoming a registered nurse is based on the shortage. The problem of the nursing shortage is expected to intensify over the next fifteen years, due to the “baby boomers” are aging and with the elderly living longer, nurses will be even more in demand in the coming years. There is a steady decline in the availability of nurses as they go off the point into different occupations or do not even consider nursing as a career option. According to a report conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration, thirty states are currently suffering due to a lack of nurses being able to fill positions. The overall look does not look promising for the state of health care in the United States.
Running head: SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY ON POVERTY Sociological Theory on Poverty Khadija Mohamed SOC- 185 Chamberlain College of Nursing ABSTRACT Poverty is a complex issue and is seen worldwide. I do not believe people choose to be poor but grow into poverty. Since education is very important in our society, I believe one of the main reasons people fall into poverty here in the United States is due to lack of education. The majority of Americans are not able to attend college due to the high cost. Based on my own experience, in order for me to graduate and receive my BSN in nursing, I either have to get a student loan which is over eight thousand dollars per semester or pay the tuition out of pocket.
Reducing nurse staffing can lead to overworked nurses, low staff morale, less patient satisfaction, and errors and more malpractice suits, which can raise the costs much more than hiring more nurses (Garretson). Even when hospitals do plan to increase their nursing staff levels, they are unable to do so because increasing nursing staff levels is not an easy task. Major factors contributing to lower staffing levels include a nationwide gap between the number of available positions and the number of registered nurses (RNs) qualified and willing to fill them. The acute shortage of nurses is making it difficult for hospitals to fill RN positions and a study found that 44% of hospital recruiters had more difficulty filling in positions in 2006 than in 2005 (AHA, 2007). The nursing shortage is a major obstacle in health care industry today that threatens to decrease nurses productivity, efficiency, competency, quality, etc and in turn increase fatigue, burnout, nurse-to-patient ratios, etc.
Over the years I have seen aged care systems that have struggled to survive economically, with “profit before people” attitudes, administrators have decided that cutting staffing, wages and supplies is a way in which to meet the rise of health care costs and financial needs. But as Australia has an aging population, residents in aged care facilities require increasingly complex care and the need for qualified and skilled nursing staff has never been greater. I feel that strategies are needed to improve the image of aged care nursing and promote aged care as a career specialty for nurses. Failure to do this will result in a crisis of care that will jeopardise the health and well-being of those requiring residential aged care. Ageism is also a current issue in nursing that I feel has reason for concern.”The term ageism has been used to imply stereotypes or beliefs that categorise or attribute properties to the elderly that are not necessarily based on sound evidence (Seymour, 2009).” Common stereotypes associated with old age include such beliefs as; the elderly are frail, disabled, slow, cantankerous, feeble, dirty, dependant and withdrawn.