THE NURSING SHORTAGE IS REAL
Despite all projections showing that the nursing workforce will continue to grow, it will not be sufficient enough to fill the demand for nurses.
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Several factors have strongly contributed to the current and ongoing nursing shortage.
1.
THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION IS CONTINUING TO AGE AND THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY IS INCREASING
By 2030, all baby boomers will be older than 65 which will increase the size of the aging population to the point where one in every five Americans is projected to be at the retirement age. Baby boomers are also surviving longer which will create an increasing demand in aging services.
2.
A SIGNIFICANT % OF THE WORKFORCE IS AGING TOO!
According to a 2018 survey conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and The Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers, 50.9% of the RN workforce is age 50 or older.
3.
NURSING SCHOOL ENROLLMENT IS NOT GROWING FAST ENOUGH TO MEET THE PROJECTED DEMAND FOR RN’S
Although the AACN reported a 3.7% enrollment increase in 2018 for entry- level baccalaureate programs in nursing, this is still not sufficient to meet the projected demand for nurses. Coupled this with the report that U.S. nursing schools turned away more than 75,000 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2018 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and clinical preceptors, as well as budget constraints – this only intensifies the nursing shortage.
4.
THE HIGH TURNOVER RATE FOR REGISTERED NURSES
Understaffing is raising the stress level of nurses, impacting job satisfaction, and driving many nurses to look for alternative employment.
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