The healthcare industry staff shortages have called for state-wide and national action in support of the nursing profession.
By Jenna Hughes
June 2023- The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
Nursing shortages, already an issue pre-COVID, were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the healthcare industry, hospitals, outpatient centers, and clinics have tirelessly sought qualified candidates to fill open nursing positions.
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that more than 275,000 nurses are needed from 2020 to 2030, and that employment opportunities for nurses will grow at 9%, faster than all other occupations from 2016 through 2026.
The pandemic heightened staffing shortages throughout the healthcare industry. Already low on staff, healthcare industry employees worked long hours in stressful, unprecedented conditions.
Nurses, already in a fast-paced and high-demand career field, have faced a variety of new stressors because of the pandemic. Nationally, nurses are navigating increased patient volume, longer hours, critically ill patients with COVID-19, and emotional trauma and distress. Other factors contributing to the shortage include an aging population, an increase in early retirement, high turnover, burnout, exhaustion, and a lack of resources in nursing schools, according to the American Nurses Foundation.
In a study on the shortage from the American Nurses Foundation, 57% of those surveyed nurses said they felt “exhausted” in the past two weeks, and 43% said they felt “burnt out.” Only 23% said they felt “motivated and supported” in the workplace.
Many experienced nurses decided to leave the field during the height of the pandemic due to stress and burnout. Many more are leaving employers for healthcare agency positions, or different careers entirely, with the hope of finding higher pay and less stressful work environments.
National shortages have led to delays in patient treatment, overcrowding of emergency rooms, and decreased patient well-being. Fewer nurses mean fewer staff must care for more patients. “Nursing shortages lead to errors, higher morbidity, and mortality rates. In hospitals with high patient-to-nurse ratios, patients experienced higher mortality and failure-to-rescue rates than facilities with lower patient-to-nurse ratios,” according to The National Library of Medicine.
Nurses are increasingly seeking support and resources within the workplace to cope with the demands of the profession. According to the American Medical Association, thoughtful, deliberate attention is needed “to ensure there are enough nurses available to provide the expert care patients need.”
So, what has been done nationally and state-wide to retain nurses in the healthcare industry?
The national and state response to the nursing shortage focuses primarily on workplace support, legislation, and improving nursing education programs.
Improving workplace conditions
Nurses are advocating for better working conditions, including higher staff-to-patient ratios, mental health resources and workplace support. According to the National Academy of Medicine’s recommendations for federal government action, “nursing organizations should initiate the implementation of structures, systems, and evidence-based interventions to promote nurses’ health and well-being.”
Healthcare organizations have implemented strategies such as recruiting travel nurses, increasing wages and bonuses, offering mental health and well-being support, and adapting staff models to address nurse burnout.
According to an American Nurses Foundation survey, 44% of respondents said their organization recruited travel nurses while 20% said they experienced increased access to mental health and well-being support services through their workplace.
Legislation addressing the nursing shortage
Some states have considered changing healthcare practitioners’ scope of practice to address the shortage of providers. According to a Penn Live Report, two Pennsylvania state senators in late January introduced a bill that would give full independence to nurse practitioners. In Pennsylvania, nurses work under the supervision of physicians. Yet many other states give much more independence to nurse practitioners, enabling them to fill roles such as owning and operating their own practice and making house calls, the report said.
Also, according to the American Academy of Physician’s Associates, a bill proposed in Colorado to the Colorado Senate Health and Human Services Committee was passed in early March that would remove the requirement for PAs to be supervised by a physician, the report said. The expansion of authority in Pennsylvania and Colorado would serve as a solution to healthcare industry staffing issues by allowing already employed professionals to issue care.
Nationally, Congress introduced the “Stop Nurse Shortages Act, H.R. 9200” that would authorize grant funding in support of nursing schools. The funding would be allocated for nursing education programs to “create and expand accelerated nursing degree programs, hire and retain faculty, and offer financial assistance to students,” according to the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. Funding allocated for educational programs would provide support to nursing schools, allow nursing students to fast-track their education and begin their careers earlier, and encourage more students to pursue education by easing the burden of tuition.
Improving nursing education programs
Nursing education schools have worked to address the nursing shortage by partnering with local hospitals. The goal of these partnerships is to increase accessibility of education and participation in nursing programs.
Oklahoma City University and SSM Health St. Anthony’s in Oklahoma have developed a hospital-university partnership that provides students scholarship opportunities. The financial assistance aims to encourage qualified graduates to enter positions in the healthcare industry.
Cleveland Clinic introduced a similar hospital education program, the ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program, which reaches out to high school juniors and seniors who are interested in a career in nursing.
Education programs such as these, and many more across the nation, foster an early interest in nursing and encourage recent graduates to enter and remain in the field.