AACN Fact Sheets on the Nursing Shortage and the aging Nursing Workforce

The baby boom generation, all 78 million of us, are aging. The health care system will become increasingly strained from the resources needed by the baby boomers. Aging right along with the baby boomers are many nurses. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has a fact sheet and strategies for deal with the nursing shortage and the aging nursing workforce that is excellent. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm

Informative site

This site was a very nice surprise, excellent information. Kathy Quan RN, BSN PHN has over 30 years experience in nursing. In addition to being a nurse, she is a webmaster, freelance writer, desktop publisher and a researcher. Visit the site, her article references Dr. Peter Buerhaus, RN, the Valere Potter Professor of Nursing and Senior Associate Dean for Research at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Dr. Buerhaus is a noted author and expert on the aging nursing workforce and the nursing shortage. He has written extensively on the subject as well as trends in the nursing labor market.
http://nursing.about.com/od/nursingshortage/a/RNsVSCEOS.htm

The Magnet Recognition Program

As health care institutions develop strategies to recruit and retain nurses, organizations should adopt the best practices of hospitals successful in recruiting and retaining RN's.

The Joint Commission reports in, “Health Care at the Crossroads” that:
The characteristics of some of these winning hospitals-called magnet hospitals- were first studied in 1983 through a project sponsored by the American Academy of Nursing. That original research and subsequent studies have shown that the nurses working in these magnet hospitals had strong support from the leadership of the organization.

For more information on the Magnet Recognition Program log on to:
http://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/magnet/index.html

Attracting more men into the Nursing Profession.

This video says it better than I ever could hope to........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o4yYwU2sE8

Thoughts on strategies and best practices for retention

In the report, “Wisdom at Work: The Importance of the Older and Experienced Nurse in the Workplace” Hatcher et al.,(2006) stated that “ the case for immediate implementation of strategies to increase the retention of the older nurse applies to employers as well as to national policy-makers.” As we search for strategic initiatives and “best practices” that offer promise in retaining and recruiting nurses to the nursing profession, thought should be given to:

• Improving the work environment, specifically ergonomics and workplace design
• Technology improvements that reduce documentation time and medical errors
• Compensation improvements, including premium differentials for off- shifts and week-ends
• Improving the culture of staff and patient safety
• Adopting a zero tolerance policy for abusive behavior in the heathcare workplace
• Improvements to staff development and education, including tuition reimbursement and on-site higher education
• Minimize paperwork burden
• Improvements to staffing effectiveness models
• Nurse leader training in retention management
• More attention to ancillary staff to perform non-nursing duties
• Limitations on mandatory overtime
• Flexibility in schedules and shifts

What a great site!

Johnson and Johnson's The Campaign for Nursing's Future has a wonderful website loaded with information check it out@ http://www.discovernursing.com/

A Case for Nurse Residency Programs.

As we move into the next decade, it will be imperative to mentor and support the novice nurse. This article in Hospitals & Health Networks builds a case for nursing residency programs. The article states, "Nurse residency programs are part classroom teaching and part support group, and last longer than the usual hospital orientation. And while they can be costly—at least one hospital spends nearly $22,000 per nurse—nurse executives say the results more than justify the expense: reduced turnover, more proficient nurses, enhanced critical thinking. " The article can be accessed at:

http://http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/06JUN2007/0706HHN_FEA_Staffing&domain=HHNMAG

Another good link from Advisory.com

Reversing the Flight of Talent Nursing Retention in an Era of Gathering Shortage
This publication examines hospitals’ growing challenge in retaining nurses at a time of increasing labor shortage and declining nurse satisfaction and morale. The presentation provides a comprehensive strategy for minimizing the risk of departures and achieving lasting nurse loyalty, with tactics for implementation
http://www.advisory.com/members/default.asp?contentid=40204&collectionid=1032&program=29&contentarea=397083#5

More information on health care

I found this blog very interesting.
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:PqSdiRStovMJ:www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2004/09/quality_betsy_l.html+Betsy+Lehman+patient+Safety&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us

Of interest in the media," Georgia educators expand nursing school capacity"

In a recent edition of The Healthcare Advisory Board, Nursing Executive Watch there was encouraging news!
http://www.advisory.com/members/default.asp?collectionid=39&program=1
Georgia nursing education leaders are working to expand the region’s pool of qualified nurses by increasing state universities’ training capacity, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The state Board of Regents recently approved $42.5 million in state bonds to help support construction of a new health sciences facility at Kennesaw State University. The $60 million building will increase the nursing school’s capacity by roughly 40 percent, or at least 80 students per year, when it opens for the 2009-2010 school year. Georgia State University officials, meanwhile, plan to launch alternative nursing education programs, including Web-based curricula, to expand enrollment by 20 students per year beginning this fall. The expansion will continue through late 2009, when officials expect to complete construction on a dedicated nursing lab and classroom facility. To further boost the nursing workforce, the dean of Medical College of Georgia’s nursing school is chairing a task force charged with developing strategies for encouraging collaboration among schools. The group ultimately hopes to increase the number of nurses graduating from the state university system by 50 percent over three years. Finally, the state’s education budget includes $3 million in grants to support other projects designed to stem the region’s nursing shortage (Duffy, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/4/07).

Important questions that must be examined and addressed

The nursing shortage and the aging nursing workforce will continue to present a challenge to nursing and health care administrators well into the next decade so a call to action is not only important, it is imperative. The federal agency, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) estimates that by 2020, there will be a shortage of more than 800,000 registered nurses nationwide.

As a nursing leader, there is an obligation to address the impact of the nursing shortage and the aging nursing population at our own institution.
Important questions that we must carefully examine and address:
- Will there be enough nurses at the bedside to provide safe, quality care?
- Will the aging nursing workforce and the nursing shortage impact the delivery of health care at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary?
- What will be the impact of the nursing shortage and aging nurse to the Boston area medical community?
- How will we assess the competencies of the older nurses?
- What will be the impact of the nursing shortage and the aging nursing workforce on the operational budgets of our hospitals and the economy?

Is the current nursing shortage different?

The public has always relied on nurses to be on the front lines in the health care system. But now through technology and the media, the public has become more aware of the impending nursing shortage. Local and federal governments have become involved in discussions related to the nursing shortage, as have agencies such as the Joint Commission http://www.jointcommission.org/PublicPolicy/nurse_staffing.htm
the Institute of Medicine, and the Department of Health and Human Services http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/nursing.htm
Historically, nursing shortages have been short lived and cyclical, but the current shortage is different and is expected to grow larger into the next decade and beyond.

My new world of blogging

Well, I have entered day two of my new blogging life. I faithfully read the daily blog of Paul Levy, http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/, and find his blog interesting and thought provoking. I am captivated by this new found technology genre and have spent hours this evening reading other blogs when I should have been preparing dinner. Well, back to the subject at hand, the nursing shortage and the aging nursing population. I welcome any and all thoughts, observations, comments, and/or ideas on how we can deal with this impending crisis. I worry about preserving this important profession and wonder what it will be like to practice nursing in the next decade.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog!

This blog is dedicated to sharing strategies to effectively deal with the nursing shortage now and in the future. Your ideas and comments are welcome and encouraged. The literature suggests that by the year 2020 there will be 600,000 to 800,000 vacant nursing positions in the United States.