Custom essays on The problem of nurse shortage

There should be improvements in education by introducing new nursing schools; Standardized post-graduate nursing programs should be created
In order to stimulate investments into nursing field, there should be a special programs for that (these bonuses should be paid when the evidence-based, nursing-sensitive goals are achieved ) (“Today’s Nursing Shortage”, 2002, p.9)
Ethic aspect
Ethic element is vital, because the shortage in the number of medical staff means insufficient treatment and support of the patients.
For instance, I would like to cite the article “Premature Babies That Hospitals Have to Turn Away”. It says that lives of these babies are risk because of severe staff shortages in hospitals: “almost three- quarters of neonatal units have closed to new admissions at some point in the past six months because of a lack of specialist nurses”. (2005, p. 12) Of course, it should be mentioned that the article discusses the situation in the British hospitals, but this problem of nursing shortage is global.
I would like to mention another article “Hospital Death Rates Linked to Shortages in Nursing Care” that links the nurse shortages to high death rates. It claims that “of the 49 trusts with the lowest nurse per bed ratios, nearly half were rated as having a high death rate in the hospital standardized mortality ratio. Data shows that nursing levels are an important factor in ensuring a low death rate in hospitals, but it’s important to recognize there are also other reasons. When hospitals do not have enough nurses, patients are put at risk.” (2009, p. 17)
Taking into account these facts, we can ask a question: “Does the society has a right to let this happen?” If nursing shortages have a substantial impact on the death rates and quality of medical services, do we have an ethic right to allow this happen? Looking at this problem from the ethical point of view, the nursing shortages problem should be solved as soon as possible, because it’s vital for the whole society.
In addition, there is another element that has some relation to ethics. It’s the general lack of respect to the nurse profession in the society. Nurses often have to deal ill-defined promotion ladder and other issues that emphasize the fact that the state and society doesn’t value them as professionals doing their jobs. So, I need to conclude that the relations in the healthcare system and the image in the eye of society need to be changed as well as other things.
Possible solutions of the nursing shortage situation
There are many ideas for solving the problem of nursing shortage. And the major advice that may be given in this case is to concentrate not on the whole problem, but on its parts.
For instance, the health care system management may concentrate its efforts on attracting young people into nurse profession, on improving the nursing education and work environment.
In the legislative context, there a number of legislative plans that are aimed on this problem’s solving, like forgiving loans in exchange for working in a shortage area, boosting the capacity of state schools to admit and train nurses, and collecting data to aid in state and regional workforce planning. (“Strategies to Reverse the Nursing Shortage”, 2001, p. 103)
According to Lee (2002) the best possible solution of this problem may be the return of the meaning to the practice of nursing. Author indicates that positive work environment is vital for the satisfaction of the nurses. (p. 30) But it may be only a part of the more complex solution.
The nursing shortage we have today will require a multipronged approach. We must involve legislators, regulators, nursing educators, hospitals, physicians, managed care companies, th, hospitals and healthcare associations, corporations that pay for healthcare, and others who make decisions about how and where healthcare is financed and delivered. (Lee, 2002, p. 29)
“A diverse cross-section of society as a whole should be included to represent the consumer perspective. Of course, nurses themselves must be involved in finding the solution to this problem, for who is better prepared to identify the factors that will not only retain nurses but stimulate young men and women to choose nursing as a profession?” (Lee, 2002, p. 30)
This issue has a short term and a long term aspects. The problem of finding the appropriate number of experienced nurses to care for patients is current and urgently needs a solution. But at the same time, the society should be able to make a long-term strategy for its heath care system.
There are also a few suggestions regarding the improvements in education and career development:
Career progression initiatives should be developed,
Help health care staff development programs should be introduced in order to support the competence level
The teenagers should be reached in order to promote recruitment of nursing students.
The process of educating nurses should face some changes. We need to remember the thee number of denied applicants for nursing schools is at its highest level ever, (the reasons are a shortage of qualified faculty, financial disincentives to offer nursing education, particularly among state schools, and a scarcity of clinical training sites). (Lopes, 2007, p.9)
Collaboration between hospitals and nursing schools should be developed, because it’s an essential condition of success of nursing education.
New idea that is aimed to increase the number of recruited specialists is to try to bring men and minorities into the nursing.
Specific strategies must be developed to attract them to and retain them in the profession. Despite a great deal of effort to recruit men into nursing, the percentage of males in the profession is only about 4 to 5 percent. (Lee, 2002, p. 30)
Many hospitals have found themselves in the mode of survival, a situation that prompts drastic and sometimes unwise actions. To face this challenge, the chief manager must have an impeccable relationship with the chief financial officer and must be an integral, credible, and valued member of the executive team of the organization. A hospital, like any other business responds to financial incentives. As a society we have to insist that financial incentives be put in place for hospitals to invest in quality patient care that mandates adequate numbers of appropriately qualified nurses to care for patients. (Lee, 2002, p. 30)
There is also the suggestion of active nurse involvement. The professionals should be interested and actively be involved in solving the problems of the nursing shortage. For example, they may become the best recruiters of men and women to the nursing profession. They can suggest their knowledge, skills, and expertise in order to improve the situation on in the healthcare organizations and to ensure the patients’ needs are met in the appropriate manner. (Lee, 2002, p. 30)
And, of course, they may also take the role in discussion of the legislative initiatives to ensure legislators and regulators know all essential information about their professional field.
In conclusion, I need to add that modern times put even higher standards on the healthcare system than ever before. Nurses will have to deliver qualified care in a variety of fields and be educated and skilled enough to deal with health promotion, disease prevention and other modern issues. The new approaches, new education programs for nurses preparation will be developed and nurses should pay their attention to constant education and improvement in their professional field.
References
Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J., & Silber, J. H. (2002). Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(16), 1987-1993.
Blakeney, B. (2003). Addressing the Nursing Shortage: Our voices are also being heard outside of nursing. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 16.
Kendig, S. (2001). Addressing the nursing shortage. AWHONN Lifelines, 5(3), 22-23.
Lee, A. (2002). The Nursing Shortage: Insights and Perceptions, Frontiers of Health Services Management. 19 (2). 29-31
Lopes, G. (July 27, 2007). Nursing, Doctor Numbers Worsen. The Washington Times, 9
Mennick, F. (April, 2007). Good News, Bad News on the Nursing Shortage. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 22
Hospital Death Rates Linked to Shortages in Nursing Care. (April 1, 2009) The Birmingham Post, 17.
Premature Babies That Hospitals Have to Turn Away; Nursing Shortage Is Endangering Lives Says Report. (July 14, 2005). The Daily Mail, 19.
Strategies to Reverse the Nursing Shortage. (2001) Nursing and Health Care Perspectives. 22 (2), 103
Warning: Today’s Nursing Shortage Could Be Hazardous to Your Health. (October, 2002), Techniques. 77 (7), 9.
Strategies to Reverse the Nursing Shortage. (2001) Nursing and Health Care Perspectives. 22 (2), 103