It’s estimated that the United States will experience a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) which is expected to worsen since the Baby Boomers are aging and the demand for healthcare rises. Aggravating the issue is the situation wherein nursing schools throughout the country struggle to increase their capacity to address the increasing demand for care. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has been collaborating with various schools, nursing associations, policymakers, and the media to highlight this healthcare concern. Read on to know some of the factors contributing to the shortage of nurses that the various staffing agencies, such as those providing medical and non-medical staffing in California are aiming to help alleviate.
- Enrollment in nursing school is not increasing enough to meet the estimated demand.
Although there has been a 3.3% increase in enrollment in the nursing entry-level baccalaureate programs in 2021, AACN reported that the Ph.D. and master’s nursing programs dropped by 0.7% and 3.8%, respectively. These statistics raise worries about the ability of nursing schools to address the estimated need for nursing services.
- The shortage of nursing school faculty limits nursing program enrollment.
As AACN reported on 2021-2022 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, 91,938 qualified applications from the baccalaureate. Graduate nursing programs were declined by nursing schools in the U.S. because of the lack of a sufficient number of faculty or man power staffing, classroom area, clinical sites, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints.
- A significant part of the nursing workforce is approaching retirement age.
The 2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey done by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing revealed that the RN’s average age is 52 years old, which suggests a big wave of retiring nurses in the next 15 years.
- Changing demographics suggest a requirement for more nurses to provide care to an aging population.
According to the report by the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2034, it is estimated that the number of individuals aged 65 and above will reach 77.0 million compared to the number of people below the age of 18 which is 76.5 million. Due to the bigger number of seniors, the need for geriatric care will rise, which includes care for people suffering from chronic illnesses like comorbidities.
At Kyros In-Home Care and Registry, Inc., we have a great pool of highly proficient nurses and other healthcare professionals to fill your medical staff needs. Feel free to contact us about staffing in Hayward, California.
Leave a Reply