Brink of a Nursing Shortage [Infographic]

Destinie Wallis https://asuonline.asu.edu 3m 699

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Lacking Of Nurses In The United States

The clear benefit to having adequate nurse staffing levels is that it can reduce the number of patient deaths and help individuals get the best possible care. Nursing is the fifth largest occupation in the U.S. and provides Americans with vital healthcare services. With the rise of chronic diseases and the retirement of the baby boomer generation, there is now a need for more nurses to deal with the increasing number of patients. Unfortunately, while the demand for qualified nursing staff has skyrocketed, the supply of qualified nurses has remained stagnant. By 2020, it is anticipated that four million new jobs will be added to the healthcare industry.

In addition to these factors, enrollment at nursing schools is not increasing at a rate that can sustainably match the higher demand for nurses. It is estimated that by 2025 the estimated shortage of registered nurses will be well over 250,000, with states like Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Maryland, and North Carolina facing the largest shortages.

The below infographic, created by Arizona State University’s Online Nursing RN to BSN degree program, explores the state of the nursing workforce in the United States and why it is on the brink of a nursing shortage.

Click to open / Right-click for save options

Text-Friendly Version

On The Verge of a Nursing Shortage

Nursing is the fifth largest occupation in the United States. However, the increasing demand for nurses has created a nursing shortage.

The Nursing Profession

The registered nurse (RN)  profession is expected to grow by 16% through 2024

The Institute of medicine recommends that by 2020, 80% of the nursing Workforce should have a BSN.

Healthcare industry is expected to add 4 million jobs by 2020, more than any other industry

Predicted shortage of nurses by 2025: 260,000

To replace retiring nurses During the., the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates a need for 525,000 nurses of the nearly 300,000 unique job postings for registered nurses in 2015, only 97,549 positions were filled

89% of new BSN graduates receive job offers four to six months after program completion in paragraph

Factors Causing Shortage

Along with the retirement of the baby boomer generation, a number of other factors have contributed to the looming shortage:

• Not enough student nurses: enrollment is not growing fast enough to meet demand
• Rise of chronic diseases: about 80% of older adults have at least one chronic condition and 68% have at least two
• expanded opportunities for women: historically, nursing has been one of few careers available to women. Career options have since expanded unless women are choosing nursing

States and Specialties facing nursing shortages in as many as 30 states, healthcare organizations are finding it difficult to fill nursing positions.

States with the largest nursing shortages expected by 2025

• Maryland 12,100
• North Carolina 12,900
• Georgia 6,700
• New Mexico 3,400
• Colorado 12,900
• Nevada 7,800
• Arizona 28,100
• California 3,700
• Oregon 6,000
• Washington 7,000

One area of specialty that is particularly under-served is Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing. Advanced nurses can help to close the gap in this prestigious field.

NICUs were understaffed for 32% of their patients

Approximately one third of NICU infants experienced understaffed and, with each infant having an average of 0.4 nurses. This is below the average national staffing ratio guidelines, which are based on infant acuity levels and nurse training.

Impact of BSN Staffing on patient care

According to a 2011 study conducted by dr. Mary Blegan, hi nurse staffing levels have been shown to:

• Decrease the number of patient deaths
• Lower rates of infection
• Lower failure to rescue incidents
• Reduce overall duration of hospital stays

Reducing a nurse’s overtime hours and scheduling more nurses to work in hospital units was associated with lower costs for the organization as well as “fewer patients being readmitted or visiting the emergency department within the first 30 days after hospital discharge”

The odds of patient morality or lower by 10.9%When Hospital units received a 10% increase in the proportion of baccalaureate-prepared RNS

nurses are more important than ever to support a healthy population, and the current nursing shortage makes this a field with unlimited opportunity. The demand for nurses will only continue to increase, meaning job security, opportunities for advancement, and the ability to impact the future of healthcare.

Now is the time to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing

ASU Online
Arizona State University
asuonline.asu.edu

(