Last year, in its Recover to Rebuild: Investing in the Nursing Workforce for Health System Effectiveness, the International Council of Nurses called for the worldwide shortage of nurses to be treated as a global health emergency. Currently, the United States is facing a national nursing crisis which is having a ripple effect across areas of patient care, nurses physical and mental well-being and retention, and overall healthcare operations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce projected that there will be an estimated 193,100 job openings for registered nurses (RNs) on average, each year, until 2032. As for the effect on patient care, a reduction in RNs can lead to more errors and higher patient mortality rates. The ripple effect of the nursing shortage goes beyond this.
The Nursing Shortage Ripple Effect
In addition to diminished patient care, the nursing shortage has also led to hospital closures with Becker’s Hospital Review reporting that 42 medical centers across the nation have ceased operations due to the nursing shortage. Staff lose their jobs, the community loses a critical resource, and the economic issues that arise (e.g., reduced consumer spending, other businesses that relied on the hospital for it and/or its staff’s purchasing of goods/services like local retailers, restaurants, etc.). Recruiting RNs is not the only challenge hospitals face as a result of the nursing shortage. Other challenges contributing to the nursing shortage crisis, include:
Challenges
- Shortage of nurse educators to train qualified nurses, who without the training of a nurse education, do not meet a hospitals or medical center’s entry level requirements,
- Lack of clinical space for this training,
- Declining nursing school enrollment,
- Increased burnout due to emotional exhaustion and physical fatigue,
- High number of aging nurses who are retiring or planning to over the next few years, and
- The government’s lack of a system to facilitate the employment of legal, immigrant healthcare workers including RNs.
Addressing our nation’s nursing shortage is an important national initiative that should be prioritized. Amalgamated Medical Care Management is striving to support RNs and Medical Assistants through our CARES (Clinical Advantage Remote Engagement Solutions) program; our solution for your clinic’s unique staffing needs.
Please email marketing@amalgamatedbenefits.com for additional information on how CARES is providing the clinical support you need to communicate with your patients beyond your office doors.