Governor Dean's Plan to Address the Nursing Shortage
Excerpt:
" Governor Howard Dean today proposed a five-point plan to address the current
and impending nursing shortage, warning that a failure to address this crisis
threatens the quality and availability of health care for years to come.
"According to a recent government report, the nursing shortage will grow from 6%
in 2000 to 12% in 2010, resulting in a shortage of approximately one million
nurses. This drastic shortage comes at a time that we need nurses more than
ever. This is a problem that this country can't afford to ignore - for the sake of
patients and families, our health system, and nurses themselves." Dean said.
"Why do people want to become nurses?" Dean asked. "Most nurses will tell you
that it's because they want to help people. Why do they leave the profession?
Most nurses will tell you that it's because they can't give patients the care that
they know they need. In fact, their jobs and their work conditions often stand in
the way of good care. What nurses want are the things that make good patient
care possible and a career in which the value of nursing is understood, supported,
and fairly compensated. Imagine choosing a career because you want to care for
others, making personal sacrifices and going into debt to get your education only
to discover that you may be driven out of your profession long before your loans
are even paid off."
"Our nursing shortage is partly a problem of "aging" - not enough young people
coming into the profession. The average nurse today is about 44 years old. But
that's far from the whole story - the average nurse is also planning to leave her
current job within a year, and hopes to retire within about 10 years," Dean said.
"We have the perfect equation for disaster - we aren't getting enough young
people - and too many of those at the height of their competence are leaving.
At another level, we do not have nearly enough minorities or men in the
profession."
"The symptoms are already with us. Many American hospitals have nurse staff
vacancy rates in double digits - some over 20%. As the burden on nurses has
increased, their health and safety on the job have become threatened. The
stress and strain of large patient loads and low staffing take a toll with one result
being injury rates higher than those in many heavy industries."
"Nursing is the heart of a health care system," says Dean. "If you doubt that, ask
a doctor. And if any doctor doubts that, ask a patient. Day in, day out, when we
are sick, scared, and in the greatest need of support, care, and technically
competent help, nurses are the true helpers there, on the front line, relieving
suffering and assuring safety. We know from hard research that when nurse staff
ratios decrease, so does patient safety. The same happens when nurses are
forced to work long beyond normal shift hours."
"The needs for care are only going to get greater. What are we going to do
when the baby boomers get old and sick? What about the many vulnerable people
in our society - the elderly, minority populations, children? Who's going to care
for them in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and at home? As we all know,
public health threats are increasing, as well. Nurses have been the foundation for
the public health system in our communities."
"How do we solve this problem?" Dean asked. "Ask a nurse. I have. And that's
how I developed my plan to address the nursing shortage, which will restore new
health, vitality, safety, and vigor to the nursing profession: "
Full story: deanforamerica.com |
