A Nurse Practitioner's View

How Hospitals Can Better Retain Their Nurses America is in the middle of a nursing shortage that is only expected to worsen as baby boomer nurses reach retirement age and a burgeoning population requires more healthcare. Here are just a few statistics that highlight the serious problems facing the healthcare industry: · More than 581,000 new nursing positions are expected to be created by 2018. This growth is much faster than any other industry, and there just aren’t enough nurses to fill the positions. · U.S. nursing shortage is projected to grow to between 260,000-500,000 by 2025. · Over the next 20 years, the average age of the RN will increase and the size of the workforce will plateau as large numbers of RNs retire. Because demand for RNs is expected to increase during this time, a large and prolonged shortage of nurses is expected to hit the US in the latter half of the next decade. · There are more than 100,000 vacant RN position...

On October 24, NOW on PBS will explore a projected nursing shortage that could impact quality of and access to care for millions of patients. Be sure to tune in! Below is the press release: Show will highlight Innovative solutions in New York City and elsewhere NEW YORK, September 26 – A U.S. government study projects that by the year 2020, there will be a nationwide shortage of up to one million professional nurses . The nursing shortage is already placing strains on the entire medical system. On October 24, 2008, the Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine NOW on PBS will examine the root causes of this crisis, and innovative efforts to reverse the trend. Even though qualified nurses are in high demand and hospitals are offering attractive incentives, many are leaving the profession. Even more alarming: few are choosing to teach the next generation of professionals. As a result, tens of thousands of applicants are being turned away from the nation's nursing schools. The production is sup...