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What Does A Shortage of Nurses Mean For You?

May 29, 2018
by Voyage Healthcare

For multiple reasons, the shortage of nurses continues to persist in America.
  • Experienced nurses are retiring faster than they can be replenished by fresh graduates.
  • Schools do not have the capacity to accept all qualified students applying for nursing programs.
  • The aging population is causing increases in healthcare demands.

This is what you should expect if you are a nurse during a nursing shortage.

1-Need for higher and broader education

With less nurses to go around that means that expectations are upped for what one-single nurse needs to be able to do. This results in longer schooling as well as interdisciplinary training so that there is more flexibility in what you can do. Having to stay in school longer could also mean more cost for you to receive the need level of education.

2-More stress in the workplace

As if being a nurse wasn’t hectic enough, a nursing shortage can amount to more stress on one person from extra work and longer hours. With increased needs for healthcare and less nurses, it leads to increased expectations of work output and playing many roles at once. Being a nurse is very rewarding for many reasons, but the job is definitely not easy.

3-Opportunities for higher pay

A benefit of being a nurse during a nursing shortage is that if you have a specific skill that is needed then hospitals are willing to pay a premium for you to come work for them. Travel nursing opens opportunities for increased pay by working based on the demands of hospitals and finding what best fits your skill set.

4-Working beyond normal retirement age

A nursing shortage presents the possibility of openings to work on past normal retirement age in order to meet the growing healthcare demands. This is a benefit for those looking to have steady work for as long as possible.

A nursing shortage comes with both its negatives and positives but it is clear that this workforce gap is not closing any time soon. Overall, whether you are currently a nurse experiencing these shortage symptoms or planning to become a nurse, you can anticipate and prepare yourself for the persistence of this issue and possibly the issue worsening in the future.