A
prevailing problem around the world is nursing shortage due to various factors.
One factor that causes the predicament is that many nurses are retiring due to
their age but few are replacing them. Another is the lack of nursing instructors
so many who want to enter the profession are turned away by the nursing schools.
The fastest growing segment of the population is the elderly, the group that
demands the most health care. But more experienced nurses, mostly middle aged
women, are leaving professions at an alarming pace. Other nurses find the
profession physically stressful because they are dealing with a lot of stress
and at times trauma. The solution for the shortage lies in paying nurses more,
decreasing the number of patients under the care of each nurse. Another highly
rated solution is greater autonomy and control for staff nurses and safer work
conditions.
The U.S. is expected to be short of more than 800,000 nurses when some 80
million baby boomers retire over next decade. Nurses and hospitals are hoping
the new Congress will respond to the shortage with more funding for nursing
programs.
Nursing, according to Department of Labor, is the second fastest growing
occupation in the United States and even in the other countries. Applications to
nursing school are up to 40 percent.
On
the other hand, some professional nurses are turning into entrepreneurs,
establishing their own nursing agency, nursing registry and even homecare nurses
for VIP patients that need more care and attentions.
