In a previous post, I talked about the current and expected shortage of nurses in the United States. Recent estimates have suggested that the shortage will grow to 260,000 RNs (Registered Nurses) by the year 2025! According to Dr. Peter Buerhaus, an expert on the issue,

"Over the next 20 years, the average age of the RN will increase and the size of the workforce will plateau as large numbers of RNs retire. Because demand for RNs is expected to increase during this time, a large and prolonged shortage of nurses is expected to hit the US in the latter half of the next decade."

While several reasons are behind the shortage, such as tough working conditions, stress and burnout, the main reason is the lack of qualified faculty to teach in nursing schools. According to a recent report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nursing schools turned away 54,991 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2009 due to an insufficient number of faculty. There were a reported 880 faculty vacancies in nursing schools across the U.S. in 2010. The primary reason why nurses are not going into doctoral programs and taking jobs in nursing schools is the low pay when compared to working in hospitals and other health care organization.

Recently, however, the nursing shortage has seemed to be easing. For example, a recent article has confirmed that the economic recession has led to a temporary easing of the nursing shortage in some parts of the country. Some analysts and employers have gone as far as suggesting that the shortage is over, and that all the doom and gloom estimates, may have been exaggerated after all. So, can we celebrate and announce the shortage over? Absolutely not!

Analysts have warned that while the nursing shortage have eased due to the economic recession, that easing is only temporary. For example, the Tri-Council for Nursing has "raised concerns about slowing the production of RNs given the projected demand for nursing services, particularly in light of healthcare reform." Other experts have called for stakeholders to "resist the short-term urge to curtail the production of RNs" since many nurses are expected to retire soon and demand for health care will only increase.

So why has the economy caused the nursing shortage to slow down? Several factors are in play. First of all, because of the tough economic times, many recently-retired nurses are going back to work. Similarly, nurses who had planned to retire are now holding on to their positions. And since many people have had their spouse laid off from his or her job, those nurses that were working part-time have now decided to work full-time, while others are working additional shifts in order to provide financial support for their families. At the same time, due to loss of insurance, reduction in benefits, and the high cost of health care, many patients are delaying procedures or not seeking health care at all. As a result, demand for nursing services has dropped as hospitals and doctors are seeing less patients.

While the temporary easing of the nursing shortage is probably the only bright spot in these harsh economic times, we should expect the shortage to be as severe as originally forecasted once the economy starts recovering.