Is There a Nursing Shortage???

An acquaintance recently asked me this and for the record YES there is a shortage of qualified nurses!!! The reason for this is quite obtuse and multi-layered but I'll break it down for ya.

1. Nursing workforce is aging out

That's right, you read correctly. Most of our nursing workforce is aging out or opting to retire early because of mandates for all nurses to obtain a BSN. Many talented nurses are diploma nurses or associates degree nurses like myself who are in their golden years and not willing or able to stare down completing a degree for a job that they've been qualified to do for so long. I can't say that I blame them. Unfortunately, this leaves a huge gap of experienced nurses to train new nurses and leaves new nurses a very steep learning curve. 

2. Our elderly population continues to grow

That's right, baby boomers and their cohorts are continuing to encompass more and more of the population and many of them have chronic health issues that need to be managed. 

3. Obamacare/HCAHPS

Ah my favorite subject. With the revamping of our healthcare system hospitals are now forced to consider ahead of all other things "patient experience." Every hospital is subject to the dreaded HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems). Basically it wants patients to rate their stay as if they were in a 5-star hotel. That being said-I'm all for quality of care and for quality improvements but to base our reimbursement on someone rating us an 8 instead of a 10?? Come on man!!!!!

So to everyone out their who wonders why your nurse may look like she's being run to death, please be gentle and kind because she probably is and she is doing it because it's what she loves. At least that is the case for me.