...Nurse Shortage in Nursing Homes Nursing shortages have been an issue in the health care field for a few years now. This shortage is seriously impacting nursing homes and the elderly in our society today. With a shortage of 8.1% of nurses in 2008, it is important to understand what is happening to nurses (Addressing the Nursing Shortage, 2010). To help one understand the nurse shortage more, this paper will discuss resource scarcity, stakeholders, economic flows, changes in supply and demand, pricing decisions, along with a business proposal. The business proposal will discuss where the market has a shortage of providers, list of services the firm will provide, explanations of set prices, and who will be hired and how much one will be paid. Resource Scarcity and Stakeholders Economic Flows According to Jacobs & Rapoport, “Economic flows can involve both money and services.” There are a couple of economic flows that could affect the nursing home and the nursing shortage. The first would be how the nursing home provides health care to the elderly. If the firm does not provide good service to the patients and customers, most nurses and patients would not want to stay at the nursing home. The second economic flow that could affect a nursing home is money. If the nursing home does not have the right amount of money, patients are not going to get the service they require. The same could be said about the nursing shortage in nursing homes. If the money is not there, then the nurses...
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...Scarce Resources Article: Strategies for Addressing the Nursing Shortage: Coordinated Decision Making and Workforce Flexibility LANDI L SCHOCK NURS/531 September-17, 2012 Holly Stenerson Scarce Resources Article: Strategies for Addressing the Nursing Shortage: Coordinated Decision Making and Workforce Flexibility The issue that was chosen to do an editorial response on was “Strategies for Addressing the Nursing Shortage: Coordinated Decision Making and Workforce Flexibility”. The nursing shortage statistics are as follows: in 1990 the United States had an 11% vacancy rate of unfilled, full-time RN positions. This number ebbs and flows over time but since 2001 the United States has had a 13% vacancy rate of unfilled , full-time RN positions and this has not changed as in past times ( Fox & Abrahamson, 2009). According to Fox & Abrahamson, 2009,” A web of dysfunction exists that is far more complicated than any single factor, “(235-244). There are many influencing factors to blame for this nursing shortage. One such factor is the population imbalance created by the Baby Boomers aging and leaving the workforce and the smaller Generation X’ers that have to try and care for all of these aging people (Fox & Abrahamson, 2009). Another influencing factor are our aging pool RN’s. Our average RN age is 43 and we have many nurses retiring. Half of RN’s are going to be over 50 by age 2010 and the U.S. does not have enough new nurses to replace them (Fox & Abrahamson...
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...continues to be an issue with increasing shortages of registered nurses (RN) and the increasing demand for health care services. There is a higher demand for registered nurses because of the increase in population, aging baby boomers, and increase in chronic diseases. The shortage of registered nurses impacts the health status and quality of life of the population. Factors that impact health care are the importance of supplying adequate nursing personnel and retaining RN’s in the workplace. There is a need to provide resources to educate registered nurses along with recruiting future registered nurses. “Economists use the concepts of demand and supply to inquire how the quantity of services used changes as price changes” (Getzen, 2007, p. 24). The purpose of this paper is to discuss demand versus supply of registered nurses and the effects of consumer demand versus the economic variables of cost, access, and supply. Demand Registered nurses are in more demand than ever before because of the continued nursing shortages. Factors contributing to the shortages are advancements in technology, people are living longer, and the health care needs are more complicated. In the early years nurses were trained to take vital signs, administer shots, and insert catheters. Nurse training in the past was more focused on bedside nursing compared to today’s nurses are doing more specialized care and training is more technical. “Today’s shortage, however, is exacerbated by an increased...
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...Nursing Shortage Abstract Healthcare industry in United States has always been passing with the issue of shortage of Healthcare professionals . Many of these positions are filled by professionals from different countries . Nursing shortage has been a huge concern since many years and expected to continue in coming years. In past years, country had been dependent on supply of nurses from several parts of the world but alarm had already rang and focuses are made to produce the required resources. In the following article we will discuss some key issues about the reasons of nursing shortage, some factors which could impact in scenario, some economic output of the issue, what policies were made in past and some solution for future are suggested to cope-up with this difficult situation . Key words : Nurses, Shortage, Supplies, Healthcare, resources . Overview In healthcare industry nurses are an integral part. In any care providing organization like Hospitals, Nursing facilities, assisted livings, senior care home etc . the caliber of nursing role is quite high. Appreciating the fact that nurses are most important professionals in patient’s care, the intensity of the issue of nursing ...
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...Nurse Burnout and Its Impact on Patient Safety Georgetown University Foundations of Health Systems and Policy NURO-624 September 12, 2013 Nurse Burnout and Its Impact on Patient Safety Patient safety encompasses the application of best practices that are geared towards achieving positive outcomes and promoting safety, and can serve as an indicator of quality in healthcare institutions; sustainable nursing workloads improve the quality of health care by reducing unsafe conditions, as well as reducing mortality and morbidity. Several literature reviews have clearly identified the consequences for patients when nurses are overtaxed or over utilized to bridge the gap of nursing shortages. According to Mckee et al, each patient added to nurses’ workloads (beyond four patients) is associated with a seven percent increase in mortality following common surgical procedures (McKee, M. 1999). Recent health reform legislation has further stimulated increased awareness and focuses on patient centered care, and emphasizes on the importance of the patients’ experience. Moreover, patients’ expectations of their caregivers to be positively engaged in their work and performing efficiently and effectively in a supportive environment are prudent. However, several challenges are being encountered by nurses, as they strive to meet the mandates of the aforementioned health care reform. Challenges resulting from unfavorable working conditions that are not conducive to the provision of patient...
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...dismal future. The framework of healthcare faces distinct challenges, potentially providing the opportunity for nurse leadership to provide a pathway for the future. One concern is the capacity to prepare the next generation of nurse leaders, both formal and informal, to become effective leaders, contributing to the future health of the workplace. This study is an analysis pertaining to the development of future nurse leaders. The analysis seeks to uncover the challenges of developing nurse leaders, and the necessary requirements for the next generation of leaders within healthcare. The findings suggest that the development of nursing leadership is vital in relation to healthy workplace environments, and quality patient care. Furthermore, a new paradigm and set of competencies necessary to lead nursing into the future. Keywords: leadership, nursing, development, future The Future of Nurse Leadership In today's ever-changing health care environment, nurses, especially administrators and managers, require leadership skills that provide direction for a new generation of nurses. Currently,...
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...Oregon’s Nursing Schools and the US Nursing Shortage Analysis by Bridget Nickerson Introduction * The United States has been aware of an impending shortage in the qualified nursing staff of US hospitals since the late 1990’s. Oregon actively began addressing the problem in the early 2000’s. The state of Oregon has Sixteen Associate degree programs for Registered Nurses, and six baccalaureate degree programs (offered at 10 universities). There are currently four universities that offer RN to BSN completion programs; however, only Portland State University and Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) offer advanced degree programs (MSN & PhD). * I have a long-term career goal of breaking into the field of public health administration. From my experience working at OHSU I’ve gotten firsthand knowledge of how interconnected a health system is with the education and research institutions. I believe that it is this symbiotic relationship that will creates excellent care providers and in turn leads to exceptional patient care. Therefore, I chose this topic as I believe the relationship between Oregon healthcare providers and Oregon educational institutions is vital to the analysis and search for solutions to the current healthcare crisis facing the US. The Problem The United States is currently experiencing a Nursing shortage that will get exponentially worse in the next 10 years. The state of Oregon is no exception to this trend. There is a shortage in...
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...Scarce Resources-Nursing shortages Nursing shortages has become a global issue facing many countries. The scarcity of nurses is expected to increase as demands for health care services increase. Scarcity of resources in health care is a multi-faced problem with multiple causes ranging from nurses leaving the profession because of job dissatisfaction, retiring baby boomers, increasing health demands with decreasing number of those entering the profession, shortage of nurse educators and nursing school, and lack of nursing program funding (Buchan & Aiken, 2008). Nursing shortage is not only a shortage of individuals with nursing qualification but also a shortage of qualified individuals who unwilling to work under current conditions. The American health care system is on a time bomb waiting to explode. The Nursing Shortage Influencing Factors Nurses leaving the profession because of job dissatisfaction Inappropriate distribution of nursing resources through inadequate career support, in appropriate skill mix and utilization, and poor retention incentives lead nurse’s job dissatisfaction (Buchan & Aiken, 2008). Inability of nurses to advocate for patients’ safety causes job dissatisfaction leading to poor job performance and negative patient outcomes. Therefore, nurses will leave the profession because of guilt and dissatisfaction for inability to perform to their best abilities. Aging Registered Nurses (RN) Workforce The fewer RN population entering the profession,...
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...Theoretical Foundation for Nursing Roles and Practice The nursing shortage is clearly a problem, and although the healthcare industry has acknowledged the shortage for decades now, the aging population has sealed the reality with an alarming force. Contributing factors include an aging population, along with its rapid increase of chronic diseases, and the limited capacity of nursing schools. As the population ages, the demand for healthcare services also escalates (Grant, 2016). The three million nurses in these United States contribute to the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, making nursing the fastest growing occupation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has determined that there will be 1.2 million vacancies for registered nurses...
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...industry, primarily within the nursing sector. Registered Nurses (more commonly known as RNs) complete an Associate degree nursing program (ASN) or higher (BSN, MSN, ND, DNSc, or DNP). Every healthcare experience involves the knowledge, support, and comfort of an RN – they are a large, diverse group who are integral to and in the delivery of healthcare. In fact, the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) Job Satisfaction 2010 survey indicates that nursing is the only “profession offering genuine opportunity for meaningful work.” The Employment Projections 2010-2020 profile suggests that there are 3.5 million licensed RNs working in various settings across the United States - which effectively means that RNs represents the single largest group of healthcare professionals in the United States; Wanted Analytics reported in December 2012 of 121,000 newly placed classified advertisements seeking RNs to fill positions in various settings to include schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, companies, and staffing firms during the months of October and November 2012; and the National Institute of Medicine confirms that between 2005 and 2012 the nursing sector experienced average annual growth of twenty-three percent (23%), and further predicts that the sector will add an additional 283,000 positions by the end of calendar year 2015. Despite rosy and extremely optimistic employment prospects, the US is in the midst of a nursing shortage as illustrated by the following:...
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...Nursing shortage is featured in every magazine, health articles, newspaper, television and other forms of communications. Nursing shortage creates serious concerns not only in the field of medicine but in the consumer’s eyes. Health is considered a basic need of mankind; therefore, everyone is affected in maintaining the health status. Nurses are a major workforce in the provision of health care. Where does this discussion lead? Is there a serious threat? What happens now? Is it global? All these questions pump adrenaline to everyone who is concern about their health status. Health care organizations, specifically hospitals have significantly felt the impact of nursing shortage. Nurses are an integral part of any health care organization; and are known to the health care community as front line workers. The following outline is to discuss a health care situation such as nursing shortage in hospital settings. This outline is to provide a comprehensive overview by analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness of procedures that are in place, and recommend improvement strategies based on economic theories and concepts that support best practices. Key Players Nursing shortage is a work in itself, there is no immediate solution to the problem; therefore, nurses as the key players must be involved in the decision making occurring at every health care organization. As nurses, the sole responsibility lies upon them to establish a safe working environment, ensuring patients and nurses’...
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...Knight Strayer University HSA 500 Professor Driscoll 29 November 2011 Identify and describe three reasons there may be a physician shortage rather than a surplus in the United States. The amount of medical schools has been steady and graduates have been limited by admission capacity The Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HHS) through a continuously approved legislation ask that “the Health Professions Education Partnerships Act of 1998 which gave the authority for the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee to study the personnel issues in medicine.” (Cooper, 2003) In a report by the” Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee (GMENAC) who predicted a doctor surplus in its 1979 report, and allopathic medical education has maintained an even level in its enrollment.” (Health and Human Services, 2011) The earlier statistical analysis of factors that were considered did not include the new technologies and the amount of medical specialist’s increase which has made changes to how the medical profession operates. The factors also did include the trend to have more salaried positions such as in the HMO market and the fact that more women are enrolling to practice medicine and enrolling in medical schools. These factors along with unanticipated population growth add to the shortage of medical practitioners in overall calculations that include rural needs for services. These factors remain in place about the future demand...
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...Nursing Shortage and the Nurse to Patient Ratio Nursing Shortage Issues and the Nurse to Patient Ratio Throughout this paper the focus is going to be on nursing and how it is affected by a growing issue of shortages. The facility where I work has been affected by a nursing shortage; this is why I chose to focus on this topic. I have seen first-hand how everyone throughout the facility is affected by the shortage. I will talk about how the facility has handled the shortage as well as the type of structural organization that the company uses that has helped to keep it afloat. I have formed a null-hypothesis and an alternate hypothesis and formed an opinion based on my research. I hope to adequately inform you of all the issues surrounding the shortages. Since I work in a skilled nursing facility I will make it my main focus. Null Hypothesis: Shortages have not played a role in in-adequate care of others. Alternate Hypothesis: Shortages have played a role in in-adequate care of others. In today’s day and age women now have more career choices; back in the day it was common for women to become nurses, but now they can be just about anything. This affects the nursing field greatly. Not only do more career choices affect the nursing ratio, but an older and aging workforce is also part of the growing shortage. Some internal factors that I have noticed affecting the facility where I work is the pay...
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...Health Care Workforce Shortages The access to quality healthcare is at risk due to the healthcare workforce shortages. The shortages include all members of the hospital work staff from nurses to primary care physicians to highly trained surgeons. Many hospitals do not have enough nurses to tend to the patients. The United States is projected to have a nursing shortage that is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows. Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing colleges and universities across the country are struggling to expand enrollment levels to meet the rising demand for nursing care. ("AACN") The enrollment in for educational programs for medical professions whether hospital-based or in colleges and universities has declined significantly. There are simply not enough graduates to fill existing or anticipated vacancies. There are other issues that add to the shortages of nurses in the healthcare workforce. Such as; insufficient staffing which is raising the stress level of nurses, impacting job satisfaction, and driving many nurses to leave the profession. The high turnover and vacancy rates have an impact on healthcare. Insufficient nurse staffing is related to higher patient mortality rates. The mortality risk for patients was about 6% higher on units that were understaffed as compared with fully staffed units. (Clark) The mortality risks also increases when...
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...My Thoughts Advocating for mandated nurse-to-patient ratios is an easy choice because it saves lives. The nursing profession is founded on caring for others, providing and promoting the health, safety, and well-being of those in need and the best way to do that is with safe nurse-to-patient staffing. This mandate is a win-win for patients, staff, and facility. Patients get best care, staff has job satisfaction, and facility gets decrease costs from benefits that better health care and staff satisfaction will produce. References Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/news/entry/state-mandated. Clark, C. (2010, January). Does Mandating Nurse-Patient Ratios Improve Care? Health Leaders Media. Fraughton, H. (2014). Factsheet: Nurse to Patient Ratios are Cost-Effective. Retrieved from http://nsgeu.ca/factsheet-nurse-to-patient-ratios-are-cost. Gordon, S. (2009). Safety in Numbers Nurse-to-Patient Ratios and the Future of Health Care. Retrieved from http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100337250 Rosseter, R. (2014). Nursing Shortage. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage Shekelle, P. G. (2002). Effect of Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratios on Patient Morbidity and Mortality. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0055923/ State Staffing Plans and Ratios. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/Poli...
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