 | Don Morris is Vice President for Human Resources at Wesley Medical Center, a regional, acute care medical facility in Wichita. Licensed for 760 beds and 102 bassinettes, the medical center provides a full range of diagnostic, treatment and trauma services.You may contact Don by e-mail don.morris@wesleymc.com, or call (316) 962- 2600. |
Health & Medicine
2005-09-01 14:36:00
Why is there a nursing shortage?
: Why is there a nursing shortage?
ANSWER: For those of us in the health care industry, the nursing shortage is something we've been living with for a number of years. However, as bad as it seems today, a worse crisis is looming in the near future, as baby boomers reach the age where they will need more health care services. In some ways, the answer is as simple as too many people retiring and not enough young people entering the field. The average age of nurses is over 40. According to one survey, the number of registered nurses (RNs) under age 30 decreased from 25.1 percent in 1980 to 9.1 percent in 2000.At the same time, fewer young people have been entering the nursing field for the past two decades. By some estimates enrollment in nursing programs would have to increase by at least 40 percent each year to replace those who are retiring. Compounding the issue is a decreasing number of faculty members to teach nursing students. So, while the number of nursing students has slowed, the pipeline itself is congested by academic programs with too few faculty members. The result is potential nurses are being turned away by many programs throughout the country.Finally, among nurses currently working in the field, job burnout, exhaustion, stress and general dissatisfaction are common complaints that need to change so we can retain our current staff and attract new professionals.
