Nursing shortages compound workloads and tight budgets
As if cost cuts and higher production pressures weren’t enough, health care facilities face a dearth of nurses even when they have the money to hire them. A study, "Nurse Staffing Survey," released earlier this year by the Chicago-based American Organization of Nurse Executives, reveals that not only hospitals are facing competition for a diminishing supply of nurses. Managed care, pharmaceutical, and non-health-related companies want them, too. Moreover, because the average age of nurses is 44, retirements will thin the ranks over the next decade or so. The study, conducted in cooperation with the American Nurses Association and the Division of Nursing of the American Society for Health care Human Resources Administration, surveyed 388 acute care hospitals. Key findings follow:
Most critical priorities:
Finding nurses with appropriate skills, competency, and experience. Managing flexible staffing to accommodate the fluctuating patient census and use of temporary staffing. Handling increased paperwork and decreased financial support for nursing management support systems.Recruitment issues:
Urban hospitals have substantially more trouble filling vacancies than rural hospitals. Rural and smaller hospitals take longer to recruit in specific areas and have difficulty hiring widely experienced registered nurses with expertise required to function in a small facility. Nurses spurn flexible staffing and shift schedules required to accommodate fluctuating patient census. Large facilities, as well as urban ones, increasingly hire agency and contract nurses.Retention issues:
Respondents report concern about creating an environment conducive to professional practice including leadership, educational support to promote professional development, and career opportunities. Shortages in nurses in clinical specialty areas, as well as nurse executives and managers, create the perception that clinical and management support for staff nurses is lacking. This promotes general dissatisfaction among experienced nurses, novices, patients, and physicians.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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