CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

The growing shortage of nurses is anticipated to reach critical proportions by 2010. This is increasingly becoming a matter of concern for public protection. Inadequate numbers of appropriately prepared professional nurses threatens America’s health and safety. Listed below include some of the factors that are contributing to this shortage:

• Aging of both the nurse workforce and the faculty members preparing the workforce
• An inadequate supply of young professionals choosing a nursing career
• Healthcare downsizing
• Education cutbacks
• Lack of long-term human resource planning
• Growing concerns over stressful and/or unsafe working conditions for nurses
• Increasing demand for nursing care due to aging of the general population and
  greater need for chronic and community-based care

DEMAND WILL OUTSTRIP SUPPLY

According to the study cited above, the experts agree on one point: burnout at U.S. hospitals is likely to get worse. An aging population of baby boomers will increase demand for hospital care at a time when young women are turning away from nursing school. That disconnect means that by the year 2010, the demand for nursing services will outstrip supply.