Being an in-demand job ever since the beginning of time, nurses are playing a very important part in making the whole medical system work and they are actually the biggest part of the staffing in healthcare facilities, hospitals, and clinics since they are the ones assisting both the patients and the doctors in doing their jobs. Even though there are millions of nurses in the United States, there is still a nursing shortage that we have to face, and we have to think and complement strategies to overcome the nursing shortage. Here is everything you need to know about overcoming the nursing shortage.

How can we overcome the nursing shortage?

1. Career development

If the nurse feels like they have been working and working but seem to not be going anywhere in terms of their career, it would discourage them to continue down this career path. You have to allow them to develop their talent and make them go forward so that they would stay in the hospital or healthcare facility since they are satisfied with the work environment that they are currently in. 

2. Listen to the needs of the nurses

When you are giving your faculty and nurses the voice that they deserve, allowing them to speak of their needs and making sure that these needs are met, it would show them that as hospital managers, you are serious and they are your priorities. Listen to their concerns and look into the ideas that they share.

3. Flexibility

Another way that you could do so that you could be able to overcome the shortage of nurses in your hospital, healthcare facility, or clinic is by giving them a working schedule that would allow them to balance home, educational, and self-time. Giving them a flexible schedule would reduce burnouts and would give them an environment that is light and positive, making them want to voluntarily go to work. 

What are the major reasons for the nursing shortage?

1. Turnover

The number one issue as to why there is a nursing shortage is because of the stress, leading to the inevitable burnout that they would feel. Since the pandemic, the burnout rate has increased rapidly, making a lot of nurses and people who work in healthcare leave their jobs in favor of another. They have so much on their plates, having to jump from one task to another, making them feel overwhelmed and feel like they cannot keep up with the job anymore.

2. Faculty

There is a need for nursing educators, space for clinics, space for the classrooms, and their preceptors for clinics since there are a lot of nursing schools that are forced to turn away thousands of applicants because they do not have the facility and equipment to accommodate these other students. And education is needed in order to create more nurses. The healthcare world is a very competitive world that has a lot of programs but few people who are qualified to run these programs, so we need more faculty that are qualified in these fields.

3. Aging population

There are certain states in the country that are particularly affected by the nursing shortage because of the aging population that Florida and Maine have. This affects the nursing shortage because there are more in-demand nurses in these areas because there are a lot more age-related facilities that are in demand of more nurses who would help these elderly people because since they are older, they require more services and attention.

4. Aging workforce

Going along with the aging population, since there are a lot of people who are retiring, there are a lot of nurses who are also retiring or choosing to retire early, leaving a lot of jobs that the next generations are going to have to find a way to fill in. The average age of a nurse who is retiring would have to be around 53 years old, and about 19 percent of the nurses who choose to retire, adding to the aging workforce, are registered nurses aged 65 and older.
 
There are a lot of states that could offer you incentives as a nurse that you could use to help you become a nurse and get a job. As time goes by, different healthcare facilities, hospitals, and clinics are also working to improve the situation and keep their policies and wages as fair and as worth it as possible.