the national nursing shortage
is due to several factors

Demographic and Job Satisfaction Factors Could Worsen Shortage of Nurses

Current Nurse Shortage Is Due to Several Factors

The nations health care providers are reporting a shortage of nurses in a range of settings. Although comprehensive data are lacking to describe the nature and extent of the current shortage, there is evidence of a growing demand for nurses with skills to treat patients with complex care needs.

Furthermore, shortages can affect the quality of care. The shortage is expected to worsen as the aging population increases demand and fewer people enter the nurse workforce. Job dissatisfaction among nurses may further reduce the strength of the nursing supply.

Providers and experts around the country have reported that the nation is currently facing a shortage of nurses. There is a lack of comprehensive national data to describe the full nature and extent of the shortage, but several types of information point to an existing shortage.

For example, California reported an RN vacancy rate of 8.5 percent for all employers in 1997, with hospitals reporting a rate of 9.6 percent, nursing homes 6.9 percent, and home health care 6.4 percent.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council reported vacancy rates for 2000 of 9.3 percent for RNs in emergency departments and 16.9 percent for RNs in critical care units.

A recent survey of providers in Vermont found that nursing homes and home health care agencies had RN vacancy rates of 15.9 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively, while hospitals had an RN vacancy rate of 4.8 percent (up from 1.2 percent in 1996).

An important factor in the current shortage is the higher proportion of patients having more complex care needs, which increases the demand for nurses with training for specialty areas such as critical care and emergency departments.

In addition, the increased use of technology in care settings has increased the demand for a higher skill mix of RNs. Furthermore, the expansion of care delivery settingssuch as home health care and community-based health care delivery systemshas increased the job opportunities available and demand for these workers.

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