The nursing shortage is one of the greatest challenges facing the public health sector since it not only affects the developing countries but also the major world powers. Nurses play a critical role in the healthcare sector because they are at the forefront when it comes to fighting the spread of epidemics. They treat patients directly and on a daily basis hence forming the core component of the healthcare system. World Health Organization (WHO) has been working closely to identify countries that suffer from the shortage of nurses and then sponsoring programs that facilitate the recruitment of nurses. Studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between patient care and patient outcomes. Some of the reasons for shortages of nurses in the country include educational obstacles, workplace obstacles, and retirement of older nurses.
Educational obstacles
Educational obstacles have been attributed to the cause of the shortage of nurses in the country. A good number of students often have the interest in joining the nursing profession and have a strong conviction to study nursing and assist patients. However, they are often turned away or wait-listed when they submit their application and transcripts (Buchan, O'May, & Dussault, 2013) . Some schools even do away with the wait-listing because of excessive demand by the students willing to join the nursing school. Another limiting factor in nursing education relates to low faculty numbers; a low number of teachers to train nursing students. It is not easy to draw more people into the nursing faculty because teaching at the nursing school requires one to have attained a higher level of education and be an expert in that particular field (Pittman, 2013) . Lack of nurse educators in the remote areas further limits the accessibility of nursing schools to deserving students in such areas. The other issue relating to the educational obstacle is the lack of clinical sites. This factor makes nurses to enter the nursing field without proper hands-on experience hence lacking understanding of running codes as well as how to take care of patients (Buchan, O'May, & Dussault, 2013) . When there are no clinical learning positions, it will be difficult for nursing programs to raise the number of applicants willing to join the nursing profession.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Workplace Obstacles
Lack of enough nurses in the healthcare facilities implies that the few remaining are often overloaded, and are forced to cover shifts or attend to duties overtime to ensure that patients are not left unattended. Overworking together with the high pressure associated with the work can lead to employee burnout, physically and emotionally (Pittman, 2013) . There is the aspect of compassion fatigue, which affects nurses who do not take time to free up themselves. Lack of enough sleep and high pressure will lower the efficiency of the patient hence poor patient care (Li, Nie, & Li, 2014). This kind of pressure has further pushed some patients to resign from their duties, which only worsens the problem of nurses’ shortage in the country.
The Retirement of Older Nurses
The other reason for nurses’ shortage is the retirement of older nurses. The current medical faculty has a median age of fifty, meaning that many of them are soon retiring. It is estimated that 73% of older patents will retire over the next three years. It implies that the hospital will be left with much younger, inexperienced staff that still needs to be mentored. The high rate of retirement not only brings about shortage but also contributes to the stress of the existing workforce due to work pressure (Li, Nie, & Li, 2014). After staying in the field for a few years, some nurses often shift career paths due to workplace bullying and other stressful situations. A good number of nurses have also reported that they often don’t feel like they are given the freedom and the authority to handle patients in their best of interest (Pittman, 2013) . They feel that there is a lack of autonomy hence facing an ethical dilemma. When such situations arise in the hospital and are not effectively solved, nurses may begin to work with low morale since they will have a feeling that their efforts are not recognized or appreciated.
Minimizing Nurses’ Shortage
Program Growth
The government needs to put in a lot of measures to mitigate the problem of nursing shortage. It is important to put in policies at the federal and institutional levels to bring a change in the healthcare sector. The first solution is to raise the number of potential nurses through educational programs since this will directly increase the number of people joining the nursing sector (Li, Nie, & Li, 2014). By 2025, the healthcare system will be in demand of over half a million nurses, meaning that more people need to join the sector to fill the gap. However, educational opportunities can only grow if there is funding. Learning institutions should assess the existing programs and determine areas that need more funding (Buchan, O'May, & Dussault, 2013) . The government should, therefore, increase funding to save this ailing sector. Giving financial assistance to the poor and rural dwellers will fetch a large pool of talented individuals to join the health sector.
Hands-On Training
Prior to joining the field, nurses should be subjected to proper training and get the experience necessary in making stressful decisions. They should be taken through simulation technology to know how to handle virtual situations. Hands-on training is vital for up-and-coming nurses, while care facilities should be updating programs to give room for shadowing and teaching (Li, Nie, & Li, 2014). In most cases, the experienced nurses may consider the addition of observers as a limitation to their daily operations. However, if more nurses are not given the hands-on-training, they will not be competent and efficient in their daily activities (Pittman, 2013) . Even as much as experienced nurses are asked to give their best as far as patient care is concerned, the hospital administration should improve the quality of hospital facilities so that all the hospital activities can be streamlined.
Conclusion
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nurses’ shortage is a global problem. The shortage has often been attributed to high demand for nurses because few people choose nursing as a profession while the current nurses are aging and retiring. Shortage in this aspect refers to both nurses in practice and the staff teaching the nursing students. As much as nurses are recognized as the driving force of the health care system, the working conditions of the nurses are quite bad and need to be improved. The country has a serious nursing shortage, and the problem is only expected to worsen if adequate measures are not put in place. It is vital for government officials, administrators, and insurance companies to appreciate and operationalize the importance of nurses in the healthcare system to uphold their viability and integrity in the healthcare system.
References
Buchan, J., O'May, F., & Dussault, G. (2013). Nursing Workforce Policy and the Economic Crisis: A Global Overview. Journal of Nursing and Society, 45 (3), 298-307.
Li, H., Nie, W., & Li, J. (2014). The benefits and caveats of international nurse migration. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 1 (3), 314-317.
Pittman, P. (2013). Nursing workforce education, migration and the quality of health care: a global challenge. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 25 (4), 349-351.
