The shortage of staff nurses is a major problem facing the world. Ideally, the supply of nurses decreases because older nurses retire while the ones supposed to fill in the gaps left are not adequate. This problem causes a knock-on-effect for services that utilize the skills of nurses. For instance, both hospitals and clinics will no longer be able to provide the level of services to patients as they used to, with a decreased number of nurses. Therefore, this situation forces those who need medical services to utilize sub-standard services caused by the decrease in the number of nurses. Also, this shortage affects the available nurses. Undoubtedly, the available nurses will encounter a variety of challenges when carrying out their duties. Some of these problems encompass workloads, physical burnouts and emotional tensions. It is, therefore, important to explore the relevant literature that has a significant concern for nursing shortage in terms of the affected sample population, study limitations and posited research questions on the effects of this problem. Logically, the separate discussions of the elements are vital for summing up a conclusion on the shortage of nurses.
Comparison to Study Questions
The study questions on the shortage of nurses issue range from the best way of assessing the situation to the best way of conducting the study by exploring the anticipated study outcomes. Ideally, study questions relate to the various outcomes of this issue, with some researches addressing the external impacts of the problem on hospitals and clinics whereas, others address the internal impacts of the problem on nurses themselves. Thus, the results of nursing shortages are either external because they affect service delivery in hospitals and clinics, or internal because they can affect the nurses themselves.
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Regarding the external effects of nursing shortage on clinics and hospitals, Haddad & Toney-Butler (2019) indicate that the inadequate supply of important personnel, such as registered nurses, is a serious problem for health facilities. The authors indicate that a lot of clinics and hospitals have been struggling with this problem since 1998 ( Haddad & Toney-Butler , 2019). They further indicate that the problem is mainly caused by various factors that encompass the increasing demand for nursing services, reduced supply of registered nurses, stressful working environment and little or no growth in the wages of RNs. The result of this shortage is the increase in the risks of adverse patient outcomes such as mortality (Griffiths et al., 2018) . Moreover, prolonged shortages can reduce the level of care provided to patients, increase the labor and operating costs, and reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of care provision. Griffiths et al. (2018) indicate that recent projections reveal big, demographically caused shortages developing in the near future. This problem, therefore, affects the provision of care in hospitals and clinics.
On the other hand, the internal impacts of nursing shortages are mainly associated with the nurses themselves. Many are the cases where nurses graduate and begin working only to realize that the career is not what they thought it would be. Some nurses practice for a while and due to the shortage problem, the experience burnout and even abandon the profession. Notably, nursing turnover only seems to be leveling off after a steady increase in rates. Haddad & Toney-Butler (2019) note that the current average turnover in nursing ranges from 8.8 to 37 percent based on the nursing specialty and geographic location.
Comparison to Population Samples
The main population samples that the study compares to include the aging population, aging workforce and the relatively younger childbearing population. The former option is the main contributing factor because the population is generally aging with the baby booming cohort approaching the stage of increased need for medical services and care. According to Haddad & Toney-Butler (2019), the U.S currently has the highest number of individuals aged above sixty-five years than any other period in history. This indication shows that by the year 2029, most of the current baby boom generation would have attained the retirement age. Consequently, there will be a seventy-three percent increase in Americans with sixty-five years and above ( Haddad & Toney-Butler , 2019). Back to the nursing shortage case, what does the increase in the aging population relate to healthcare? Ideally, as the population becomes older, the need for medical services rises proportionately. Elder people do not always have single morbidity. Instead, the probability of diagnosing elder people with multiple illnesses and co-morbidity is higher hence the increased rate of seeking medical services. Ideally, the population survives longer with illnesses that require the increased use of medical services as well. Treating long-term infections overstrain the available workforce. Therefore, the aging population leads to increased demand for medical services that overstrain the available workforce.
Another population sample that the study compares to is the aging workforce. Undoubtedly, nurses are aging just like the population they serve. Haddad & Toney-Butler (2019) affirms that currently, there are about one million RNs who are aged above fifty years of age, signifying that 33.3% of the nursing workforce could be hitting the retirement age in the next ten to fifteen years. This indication denotes the need to train more nurses. However, the fewer resources available such as shortage of training staff in the nursing faculty become a stumbling block to this move. Enrolment of nurses in the faculty is, thus, limited because of the shortage of training staff. Besides, limited training staff in nursing faculty not only leads to limited enrolment but also compromises the quality of the nursing training curriculum. Consequently, adequate and efficient replacement of the retired nurses seems close to impossible.
The last population sample that the study compares to relates to the fact that the nursing fraternity is majorly female. Ideally, during the childbearing age, female nurses will automatically leave or cut back the profession. Some may even change the profession or eventually return. These professional cuts add to the currently high shortages in the nursing field hence escalating the problem.
Study Limitations
The study on how enough nursing staff and staffing ratios affect hospitals and clinics externally and internally affect the nurses themselves has limitations. Ideally, there is inadequate research data and resources on this issue hence the difficulty. Whereas the ultimate goal of any unit is to have adequate nursing staff, the prevailing shortage in nurses has not only made it difficult to hire and train nurses but has also led to the challenge of retaining nurses. Besides, the fact that the baby boomer age is approaching the retirement age greatly escalates the problem because of the inadequate new nurses who join the workforce. Also, considering the different acuity levels and type of work done at different facilities, the nursing field only becomes complex with the prevailing shortages ( Jones, 2016 ). The nursing shortage is, therefore, a serious issue under consideration but the limited data concerning this specific issue makes it challenging for researchers to adequately tackle it.
Conclusion
Evident from the discussion, it is important to review the relevant literature that has significant concern for nursing shortage in terms of the affected sample population, study limitations and posited research questions on the effects of this problem. The study compares to the research questions that relate to the anticipated external and internal effects of the nursing shortage. On the other hand, the study compares to three main sample populations that encompass the aging population, an aging workforce and childbearing population. Finally, the study addresses the limitation which involves the inadequacy of data on nursing shortage.
References
Griffiths, P., Maruotti, A., Recio Saucedo, A., Redfern, O., Ball, J., & Briggs, J. et al. (2018). Nurse staffing, nursing assistants and hospital mortality: retrospective longitudinal cohort study. BMJ Quality & Safety , 28 (8), 609-617. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2018-008043
Haddad, L. M., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2019). Nursing shortage. In StatPearls [Internet] . StatPearls Publishing.
Jones, T. (2016). Outcome measurement in nursing: Imperatives, ideals, history, and challenges. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 21 (2).
