As a Long-Predicted Nursing Shortage Gets Real, Staffing and Retention Issues Get Urgent
Is the nursing shortage finally here?
In her June issue editorial, AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy notes that in her recent visit to the annual National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) conference, many of the senior students she spoke with already had jobs lined up.
She surveys some recent indicators pointing to the possible arrival at last of a long-predicted nursing shortage, and some of the possible implications this is having or may have in the coming years for patient care and the health of organizations. For example:
“A survey of 233 chief nursing officers conducted last July conducted last July by national staffing company AMN Healthcare found that 72% said their shortages were moderate to severe, and most expected shortages to worsen over the next five years. They also acknowledged that the shortage was having a negative effect on patient care, patient satisfaction, and staff morale.”
Bonuses for new hires.
She notes that, with hospitals in some regions paying signing bonuses to new nurses, the question of staff retention and development remains the elephant in the room.
The class of 2018, it seems, is entering a job seeker’s market. . . . Organizations that can invest in new nurses with programs that provide support and training will have a leg up in recruitment. […]
