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Benjamin H.Santos, BS-HCM, RN

A Nursing Shortage

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that hospitals and long term health care facilities added 27,000 new jobs in February 2009.  These vacancies, coupled with an additional 116,000 open positions in hospitals (per American Hospital Association report) bring the total RN vacancies in the U.S. to more than 135,000. The irony of it all is that it (February) was a month where, nationwide, 700,000 lost their jobs. New jobs being filled are more likely to be that of nurses and the rest are relegated to the statistics of “jobless.” By the same Bureau, it was reported that more than ONE MILLION new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2016. 

 Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing colleges and universities across the country are struggling to expand enrollment levels to meet the rising demand for nursing care. Should such a campaign succeed, shortage of nursing faculty shall arise as a problem thereby restricting nursing program enrollments.  Since the total population of nurses is growing at a slow rate, the average age of the nurses is climbing; insufficient staffing is raising the stress level of nurses, impacting job satisfaction and driving many nurses to leave the profession.

 How can we improve or at least maintain this five-star standard of care that the nurses are dishing out when America is in the midst of a nursing shortage? This “shortage” will be aggravated as “baby boomers age”, nurses are promoted to executive levels, and others are on the way to retirement while the need for health care grows.

Benjamin H. Santos, BS-HCM, RN is a highly decorated Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos war veteran, RN. He is the President and CEO of United Staffing Registry, Inc., d/b/a United Home Care, United Staffing Registry of NJ, LLC and United Travel World Agency, Inc.