Nursing Workforce Shortage: A Local Health Care Economic Issue and Its Effects on Patient Care Quality
Overview
This paper identifies the nursing workforce shortage as a critical health care economic issue affecting the United States, particularly in rural and underserved areas. The author argues that this shortage stems from under-investment in workforce development and inadequate compensation, resulting in significant consequences for patient safety, organizational costs, and health care disparities in vulnerable communities.
What this coursework covers
- Description of the Health Care Economic Issue: Documents the scale of nursing shortages using 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey data and Bureau of Labor Statistics projections through 2031
- Rationale for Choosing This Issue: Explains personal and professional motivation for selecting this topic, emphasizing both moral and economic dimensions
- Effects on Work, Organization, Colleagues and Community: Analyzes cascading impacts including increased agency nurse costs, burnout, patient safety risks, and disproportionate effects on rural and low-socioeconomic communities
- Identifying the Gap: Describes the mismatch between workforce investment and demographic needs as the aging population increases
Preview
Identifying a Local Health Care Economic Issue: The Nursing Workforce Shortage
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Identifying a Local Health Care Economic Issue: The Nursing Workforce Shortage
Description of the Health Care Economic Issue
The lack of nursing care is a future health care economic concern in the US. This is not just a recruitment problem but is an economic problem affecting health care services, health care financing, and health care disparities. The 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey indicated nearly 100,000 registered nurses (RNs) left the workforce because of the pandemic, and by 2025, there may be a shortage of 450,000 nurses (Smiley et al., 2023). This is consistent with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which predicts more than 193,100 job openings for nurses each year from 2021 to 2031 due to retirements and population growth (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). This is especially true in rural and urban areas with health and health care inequities, where issues with recruitment and retention are further compounded by lower wages and a lack of infrastructure and career advancement opportunities.
Rationale for Choosing This Issue
I selected a shortage of the nursing workforce as it is relevant to my health care practice, and it is a moral and economic issue. I have experienced the problems on the ground, from a health care workforce shortage in delivering quality patient care, unsafe nurse staffing levels, nurse burnout, and care delays.