What can done about the nursing shortage?

Answer 1

A lot of good answers here. I'll add my opinion anyway.
There have been ups and downs in the nursing field for years. There will be a shortage and then there will be so many that there are no jobs for them without relocating.

The first problem that comes to mind is that there are waiting lists to get into nursing school. That is a key problem. Nurses are needed but people can't get into school to become one. RN,LPN,MA,CNA or whatever...there is a lack of opportunity.

Second thing is the cost of the education. I think this is a problem for many people who wish to attend school in any field. There are some places that will put you through nursing school and help with the cost,but then you are obligated to work for them for X amount of years as a condition for their help.
Yes,there is financing available,but I agree with another person here that it is geared toward the younger people and nothing is readily available for the 30 something people who have decided to change careers or continue their education.

Third thing...If you are fortunate enough to finally get through school and get your degree and get a job...then there is that little thing called MONEY! The incentive! The goal! The reason that we went through all of this to get to the point of having an interview and getting hired.
Then...they offer you a starting range of ,oh let's just say,17-20.00/hr. Yeah right ! Like that is going to help you pay back all those student loans and financial aid!

There is no consistency in the amount of pay in nursing facilities. Depends on where you live,how needed nurses are in that area,what the usual going rate is among a lot of other factors.
Nurses with experience that try to get jobs in a higher paying area are turned down because they are expecting to get paid more than the facility is willing to pay them. They would rather save themselves the money and hire someone fresh out of school.

In some areas ICU nurses are really needed. Hospitals that aren't willing to pay these nurses more money,aren't able to keep them for an extended period of time,if they're lucky enough to get them to take the job at all. When a nurse can travel 20 miles in any direction and be offered $5-10.00 more an hour performing the same job duties,they are going to take the one that they are getting paid more.

Insurance and benefits are another factor. Nurses are putting their lives at risk every day. They take care of patients from all walks of life,no matter what department they specialize in. Better insurance and better benefits should be offered to them. Some facilities offer great benefits,but some don't. This is another determining factor as to what job these nurses take.

Well,I think I'll stop now,although I could continue writing about the problems in the entire health care system. But I think you understand some of the main problems associated with the nursing field.

I think it has to be a nationwide effort to get more good nurses and keep them happy and working for a facility that cares about them. The first step though is being able to attend college and then determining if you want or need to get your bachelors or masters. That goes back to the affordability factor. How long do you want to be paying for your education?

Answer 2

First, it takes a certain type of personality to deal with the nursing profession. I know several that should not be nurses! They're there for the money but they really bite when it comes to patient care.

Second, better career education as to what a nurse is. Many people today still think that nurses change the sheets and walk around looking cute going "Yes, Doctor" all day long. It's a lot of hard work and very versatile field.

Answer 3

One thing they need to do is change the scholarship situation. I myself am going back to school to finish a degree, and one thing there isn't for those returning to schools is scholarships for adults. All scholarships are geared towards those graduating high school- what little is available for adult learners, they make you do so much to apply, and it's for a measley $50 or $100. Even when I was in nursing school, there were tons of students who were late 20s or older so it's not like older adults don't attend college- heck there was even a few women in their 60s. If the system was revamped, then I think more people would decide to go in the field. College costs have certainly skyrocketed over the years, and more needs to be done to encourage people and let them be able to attend.

Answer 4

My sister was a RN for 25 years. She worked in lots of different areas of nursing and the one thing that got her most was never the death or suffering but the way she was treated by other medical staff esp MDs. There were other nurses who were so threatened by her knowledge and skills at time that they would sabotage her and get her in trouble for things that were not her fault. Any nurse that was truly competent was worked to death, ended up having problems at home because she was overworked. She was expected to give up her holidays, family birthdays and work short staffed(which also reflected in lower quality patient care.) I asked her when she retired would she miss working...she laughed and said you have got to be kidding. She said she would come home some days after working 14 days straight and not even know what her children had been doing in school. She told me that when she got to where she had given up so much of herself to make her job work smoothly that she didn't even know who she was anymore...that's called burn out .
Until health care facilities realize that working caring people until they get sick or make mistakes from fatigue just to save a dollar, they will be able to recruit and retain quality professionals for the facilities.

Answer 5

They need to raise the pay of professor so more nurses will choose to instruct. This way it is easier to get into nursing school and more people will be able to go into the field. (In most states it is harder to get into nursing school than medical school.)

Answer 6

make cna's nurses, help with school so they can become nurses. then will have more nurses

Answer 7

train more nurses and treat them better

Answer 8

go to a medical collage good luck