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’ right be upheld at all times, and nurses upholding the highest quality of care rendered to patients. Nurses must be intensely involved in committees to have a voice and in-puts and must be willing to effect change. Therefore, we must look at the accrediting body for nursing organizations, nurses who work in hospital setting, the health care providers who collaborate with nursing to assure