Nursing Shortage Essay

Discuss the events that have contributed (or will continue to contribute) to the nursing shortage, or that contribute to a shortage in a region or specialty. Discuss at least one way that the nursing profession is currently working toward a resolution of this problem.

Nursing Shortage

Events that will continue to contribute to the nursing shortage in the United States

The United States is presently experiencing a shortage of the nursing workforce dissimilar to cyclical nursing shortages seen in the past. The distinctive character of the nursing shortage is a result of two key contributing factors; the aging population and the impending retirement of the baby boom generation which is the biggest group of the nurse workforce.  While the number of hired nurses is anticipated to grow by 15 percent from 2016 to 2026, a minimum of 500,000 nurses are expected to retire by the year 2022 (Fackler, 2019). Nursing Shortage Essay Sample

Because baby boomers are leading more active lifestyles and having  lower  rates of smoking, along with advancements in medicine, it is expected that baby boomers will live longer than the previous generation and thus there will be increased usage of health care services funded by Medicare. According to Buerhaus et al. (2017), the increased number of the elderly, the intricacy of their illnesses and their requirement for social services will pose numerous challenges for nurses. There will be an increase in the demand for nurses as well as a rise in the types and intensity nursing care that will be required.