AACN Fact Sheet - Nursing Shortage (2024)

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The U.S. is projected to experience a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) that is expected to intensify as Baby Boomers age and the need for health care grows. Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing schools across the country are struggling to expand capacity to meet the rising demand for care given the national move toward healthcare reform. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is working with schools, policy makers, nursing organizations, and the media to bring attention to this healthcare concern. AACN is leveraging its resources to shape legislation, identify strategies, and form collaborations to address the shortage. To keep stakeholders abreast of the issues, this fact sheet has been developed along with a companion web resource.

Current and Projected Shortage Indicators

  • According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections 2019-2029, Registered Nursing (RN) is listed among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2029. The RN workforce is expected to grow from 3 million in 2019 to 3.3 million in 2029, an increase of 221,900 or 7%. The Bureau also projects 175,900 openingsfor RNs each year through 2029 when nurse retirements and workforce exits are factored into the number of nurses needed in the U.S.
  • According to the United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast: A Revisit published in the May/June 2018 issue of the American Journal of Medical Quality, a shortage of registered nurses is projected to spread across the country between 2016 and 2030. In this state-by-state analysis, the authors forecast the RN shortage to be most intense in the South and the West.
  • In October 2010, the Institute of Medicine released its landmark report on The Future of Nursing, initiated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which called for increasing the number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the workforce to 80% and doubling the population of nurses with doctoral degrees. The current nursing workforce falls far short of these recommendations with only 64.2% of registered nurses prepared at the baccalaureate or graduate degree level according to the latest workforce survey conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
  • In July 2010, the Tri-Council for Nursing released a joint statement on Recent Registered Nurse Supply and Demand Projections, which cautioned stakeholders about declaring an end to the nursing shortage. The downturn in the economy has lead to an easing of the shortage in many parts of the country, a recent development most analysts believe to be temporary. In the joint statement, the Tri-Council raises serious concerns about slowing the production of RNs given the projected demand for nursing services, particularly in light of healthcare reform.

Contributing Factors Impacting the Nursing Shortage

Nursing school enrollment is not growing fast enough to meet the projected demand for RN and APRN services.

Though AACN reported a 5.1% enrollment increase in entry-level baccalaureate programs in nursing in 2019, this increase is not sufficient to meet the projected demand for nursing services, including the need for more nurse faculty, researchers, and primary care providers.

A shortage of nursing school faculty is restricting nursing program enrollments.

  • According to AACN’s report on 2019-2020 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away 80,407 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2019 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and clinical preceptors, as well as budget constraints. Almost two-thirds of the nursing schools responding to the survey pointed to a shortage of faculty and/or clinical preceptors as a reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into their programs.

A significant segment of the nursing workforce is nearing retirement age.

  • According to a 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration found that the average age for an RN is 50 years old, which may signal a large wave over the next 15 years
  • In a Health Affairs blog posted in May 2017, Dr. Peter Buerhaus and colleagues project than more than 1 million registered nurses will leave the workforce by 2030.

Changing demographics signal a need for more nurses to care for our aging population.

  • In 2017, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that by 2030, the number of US residents age 65 and over is projected to be 82 million. With larger numbers of older adults, there will be an increased need for geriatric care, including care for individuals with chronic diseases and comorbidities.

Insufficient staffing is raising the stress level of nurses, impacting job satisfaction, and driving many nurses to leave the profession.

  • In the July 2017 issue of BMJ Quality & Safety, the international journal of healthcare improvement, Dr. Linda Aiken and her colleagues released findings from a study of acute care hospitals in Belgium, England, Finland, Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland, which found that a greater proportion of professional nurses at the bedside is associated with better outcomes for patients and nurses. Reducing nursing skill mix by adding assistive personnel without professional nurse qualifications may contribute to preventable deaths, erode care quality, and contribute to nurse shortages.
  • In the March 2005 issue of Nursing Economic$, Dr. Peter Buerhaus and colleagues found that more than 75% of RNs believe the nursing shortage presents a major problem for the quality of their work life, the quality of patient care, and the amount of time nurses can spend with patients. Looking forward, almost all surveyed nurses see the shortage in the future as a catalyst for increasing stress on nurses (98%), lowering patient care quality (93%) and causing nurses to leave the profession (93%).

High nurse retirement and turnover rates are affecting access to health care.

  • In the September 21, 2015 issue of Science Daily, healthcare economist David Auerbach released findings from a new study, which found that almost 40% of registered nurses are over the age of 50. “The number of nurses leaving the workforce each year has been growing steadily from around 40,000 in 2010 to nearly 80,000 by 2020. Meanwhile, the dramatic growth in nursing school enrollment over the last 15 years has begun to level off."

Impact of Nurse Staffing on Patient Care

Many scientific studies point to the connection between adequate levels of registered nurse staffing and safe patient care.

  • In the February 2014 issue of the Lancet, Linda Aiken and colleagues published findings from a study conducted in European hospitals, which found that an increase in a nurses’ workload by one patient increased the likelihood of dying within 30 days of admission by 7%. The researchers also found that every 10% increase in bachelor’s degree nurses was associated with a decrease in patient mortality by 7%.
  • In a study published in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety in May 2013, researcher Heather L. Tubbs-Cooley and colleagues observed that higher patient loads were associated with higher hospital readmission rates. The study found that when more than four patients were assigned to an RN in pediatric hospitals, the likelihood of hospital readmissions increased significantly.
  • In the August 2012 issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, Dr. Jeannie Cimiotti and colleagues identified a significant association between high patient-to-nurse ratios and nurse burnout with increased urinary tract and surgical site infections. In this study of Pennsylvania hospitals, the researchers found that increasing a nurse’s patient load by just one patient was associated with higher rates of infection. The authors conclude that reducing burnout can improve the well-being of nurses and the quality of patient care.
  • In a study publishing in the April 2011 issue of Medical Care, Dr. Mary Blegen and her colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco found that higher nurse staffing levels were associated with fewer deaths, lower failure-to-rescue incidents, lower rates of infection, and shorter hospital stays.
  • In March 2011, Dr. Jack Needleman published findings in the New England Journal of Medicine, which indicate that insufficient nurse staffing was related to higher patient mortality rates. These researchers analyzed the records of nearly 198,000 admitted patients and 177,000 eight-hour nursing shifts across 43 patient-care units at academic health centers. The data show that the mortality risk for patients was about 6% higher on units that were understaffed as compared with fully staffed units. In the study titled “Nurse Staffing and Inpatient Hospital Mortality,” the researchers also found that when a nurse’s workload increases because of high patient turnover, mortality risk also increases.
  • In a study published in the April 2010 issue of Health Services Research, Dr. Linda Aiken and colleagues found that lower patient-nurse ratios on medical and surgical units were associated with significantly lower patient mortality rates. The study is titled “Implications of the California Nurse Staffing Mandate on Other States.”
  • In the June 2009 issue of the International Journal of Nursing Studies, a research team lead by Dr. Koen Van den Heede found a significant association between the number of baccalaureate-prepared RNs on cardiac care units and in-hospital mortality. Data analyzed by this international team of researcher that included representatives from Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States showed that there were 4.9 fewer deaths per 1,000 patients on intensive care units staffed with a higher percentage of nurses with bachelor’s degrees.
  • A growing body of research clearly links baccalaureate-prepared nurses to lower mortality and failure-to-rescue rates. Studies published in the journals Health Services Research in August 2008 and the Journal of Nursing Administration in May 2008 confirm the findings of several previous studies which link education level and patient outcomes. Efforts to address the nursing shortage must focus on preparing more baccalaureate-prepared nurses in order to ensure access to high quality, safe patient care.
  • In March 2007, a comprehensive report initiated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was released on Nursing Staffing and Quality of Patient Care. Through this meta-analysis, the authors found that the shortage of registered nurses, in combination with an increased workload, poses a potential threat to quality. Increases in registered nurse staffing was associated with reductions in hospital-related mortality and failure to rescue as well as reduced length of stays.
  • A shortage of nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level is affecting health care quality and patient outcomes. In a study published September 24, 2003 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Dr. Linda Aiken and her colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania identified a clear link between higher levels of nursing education and better patient outcomes. This extensive study found that surgical patients have a "substantial survival advantage" if treated in hospitals with higher proportions of nurses educated at the baccalaureate or higher degree level. In hospitals, a 10% increase in the proportion of nurses holding BSN degrees decreased the risk of patient death and failure to rescue by 5%.

Efforts to Address the Nursing Shortage

  • Many statewide initiatives are underway to address both the shortage of RNs and nurse educators. For example, in January 2014, the University of Wisconsin (UW) announced the $3.2 million Nurses for Wisconsin initiative — funded through a UW System Economic Development Incentive Grant — to provide fellowships and loan forgiveness for future nurse faculty who agree to teach in the state after graduation. This program was launched in response to projections that Wisconsin could see a shortage of 20,000 nurses by 2035. For a sampling of other state-based initiatives, visit
  • Nursing schools are forming strategic partnerships and seeking private support to help expand student capacity. For example, the University of Minnesota announced a partnership with the Minnesota VA Health Care System in June 2013 to expand enrollment in the school’s BSN program. With a focus on enhancing care to veterans, the VA committed $5.3 million to the university to expand clinical placement sites, fund additional faculty, and support interprofessional engagement. For similar initiatives, visit
  • In September 2010, AACN announced the expansion of NursingCAS, the nation’s centralized application service for RN programs, to include graduate nursing programs. One of the primary reasons for launching NursingCAS was to ensure that all vacant seats in schools of nursing are filled to better meet the need for RNs, APRNs, and nurse faculty.
  • In June 2010, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released its Charting Nursing’s Future newsletter which focused on the capacity innovations of 12 partnerships that are effectively addressing the nursing and nurse faculty shortages. Among the recommendations advanced are requiring all new nurses to complete a BSN program within 10 years of licensure and enhancing the pipeline into baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs.
  • Since February 2002, Johnson & Johnson has sustained the Campaign for Nursing’s Future, a multimedia initiative to promote careers in nursing and polish the image of nursing. This multimillion dollar effort includes television commercials, a recruitment video, a web site, brochures, and other visuals.

Last Update: September 2020

Contact

Robert Rosseter
rrosseter@aacnnursing.org
(202) 463-6930, ext. 231

AACN Fact Sheet - Nursing Shortage (2024)

FAQs

What is a good thesis statement for nursing shortage? ›

Thesis Statement Research suggests that the nursing profession faces shortages because of insufficient potential educators and high turnover in the sector.

What are the common factors contributing to the nursing shortage? ›

The nursing profession continues to face shortages due to a lack of potential educators, high turnover, and inequitable workforce distribution.

How is the nursing shortage defined? ›

A nursing shortage means that there is a high demand for registered nurses, but there are not enough qualified individuals to fulfill the demand. This means we are lacking skilled nurses who can provide critical and essential care for patients in need.

Which factor contributes to the nursing shortage in the United States quizlet? ›

The nursing shortage is limited primarily to the United States. Downsizing for cost containment by hospitals contributed to the shortage. The use of unlicensed assistive personnel helped to supplement staffing shortages.

How can nurse shortage be resolved? ›

Here's a look at some creative solutions that nurse leaders can begin using to address today's nursing shortage.
  1. Solution #1 – Use an Onboarding Program to Make New Nurses Feel Welcome. ...
  2. Solution #2 – Incentivize Behaviors You Want from Your Nurses. ...
  3. Solution #3 – Invest in Long-term Training and Professional Development.

How can we improve the nursing shortage? ›

6 Innovative Ways Top Nursing Executives Are Surviving the Nursing Shortage
  1. Listening to nurses' concerns.
  2. Prioritizing workplace culture.
  3. Adjusting protocol to meet nurses' needs.
  4. Increasing diversity and representation in nursing.
  5. Addressing the need for more nurse educators.
  6. Supporting nurses leading healthcare innovation.

What is the number one cause of nurse burnout? ›

One of the largest burnout risks for professionals in any industry is chronic lack of sleep. This is particularly common for nursing professionals who work long hours and consecutive shifts. In a survey conducted by Kronos Inc., 25% of nurses reported that they were unable to get enough sleep between shifts.

Where is the largest nursing shortage? ›

California has the worst nursing shortage in the United States. It's predicted that by 2030, California will be in need of over 44,000 nurses. Other states with major hospital staff shortages include New Mexico, Vermont, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Arizona.

What are the biggest issues facing nurses today? ›

Exhaustion and Overworking

According to a 2021 PubMed report, 34.1% of nurses experienced emotional exhaustion, 12.6% fought depersonalization, and 15.2% felt a lack of personal accomplishment. These are all signs of burnout. All healthcare personnel are at a greater risk of burnout.

Is the nursing shortage real? ›

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country will need more than 203,000 new registered nurses every year through 2026 to fill the gap in care left by a retiring workforce. The average age of a nurse right now is 51.

How do you explain a shortage? ›

A shortage is a situation in which demand for a product or service exceeds the available supply. When this occurs, the market is said to be in a state of disequilibrium. Usually, this condition is temporary as the product will be replenished and the market regains equilibrium.

What percentage of nurses leave the profession? ›

There are many reasons that nurses leave the profession and there are many overlapping systems within healthcare. But, one study found that a staggering 17% - 30% of new nurses leave their job within the first year and up to 56% leaving within the second year.

How burnout has created a nursing shortage? ›

The combination of sleep deprivation and emotional exhaustion can lead some nurses to make mistakes or errors in judgment. Nurses who experience burnout may also be irritable or often call in sick, leading in some cases to poor job performance and further understaffing.

What are two causes for the expected increase in demand for RNS? ›

Four Key Reasons Why Nurses Are in High Demand Right Now
  • An aging baby boomer population. ...
  • The Affordable Care Act. ...
  • Nursing faculty falling behind. ...
  • Experienced nurses exiting the workforce.
24 Mar 2022

Which strategy might be considered a long term solution to the current nursing shortage? ›

chapter 6: Which strategy might be considered a long-term solution to the current nursing shortage? instituting initiatives to promote a more positive image of nursing to aid in changing the public's perception.

Is the shortage of nurses expected to resolve soon? ›

Nursing shortage looms large and projected to intensify in next 18 months: report. A national nursing workforce report is advocating for dramatic action to better support the nation's nurses amid the current staffing crisis during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Will the nursing shortage get worse? ›

As a result, the BLS predicts that between 2020 and 2030, nursing employment opportunities will increase by 9%, implying that the nursing shortage will worsen, and that job opportunities will only increase. There is a nursing shortage in the United States, and it is only going to get worse.

Which type of nurse is most prone to burnout? ›

Critical care nurses tend to suffer the highest rates of burnout. Critical care specialties include the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU). Emergency department nurses tend to experience the highest rates of burnout.

How long do people stay nurses? ›

The 10-year RN Work Project study found 17% of newly licensed RNs leave their first nursing job within the first year, 33% leave within two years, and 60% leave within eight years.

Do nurses go through more stress than doctors? ›

In line with literature, our study also found that nurses experience more stress than doctors [22] [24] [27] [28] [43]. Increased number of stressed nurses may be attributed to the fact that almost 70% of the participants in our study were nurses.

Where do the happiest nurses work? ›

But Nurse.org found that nurse educators, home health nurses, nurse managers, OR-perioperative nurses, and pediatric nurses reported the highest levels of job satisfaction.

What state has highest demand for nurses? ›

The States With the Largest Projected Employment Growth
RankState NameProjected RN Employment Growth
1Arizona35%
2Colorado29.5%
3Utah28.2%
4New York24.6%
6 more rows

What state are nurses paid the highest? ›

Highest-paying states for registered nurses

California tops our list of the highest-paying states, where registered nurses make $124,000 per year on average. Following it is Hawaii, at $106,530, and Oregon at $98,6300.

What are the five nursing problems? ›

The five stages of the nursing process are assessment, diagnosing, planning, implementation, and evaluation. All steps in the nursing process require critical thinking by the nurse.

What type of person is best suited to be a nurse? ›

Kindness, fairness, caring, trustworthiness, emotional stability, empathy, and compassion are components that make you human on a personal level and serve you well as a nurse. You exhibit strong communication skills. You communicate well with patients and colleagues — sometimes at their worst life moments.

What are the five challenges facing healthcare today? ›

The list of healthcare industry challenges today goes like this:
  • Harnessing Advanced Health Technology. ...
  • Information and Integrated Health Services. ...
  • Cybersecurity. ...
  • Rising Healthcare Costs. ...
  • Payment Processing and Invoicing. ...
  • Pressure on Pharmaceutical Prices. ...
  • Healthcare Regulatory Changes. ...
  • Healthcare Staffing Shortages.

Are nurses in demand 2022? ›

Helping people is one of the reasons most nurses say they went into the profession. Still, shortages have plagued the nursing profession since 1998. Projections indicate the need to hire up to a million new nursing professionals by 2022 to meet the growing demand.

Are nurses underpaid in the US? ›

Nursing, a 90% female profession, has been historically underpaid. Caring professions like nursing are often regarded as 'women's work' and therefore are undervalued and underpaid or even unpaid.

Where are nurses needed the most right now? ›

Which states have the highest need for nurses?
  • California (274,650)
  • Texas (207,810)
  • New York (180,730)
  • Florida (174,710)
  • Pennsylvania (139,480)

What are the 3 basic questions that generally arise from shortage What are the three basic economic questions? ›

Key Takeaways

Economists address these three questions: (1) What goods and services should be produced to meet consumer needs? (2) How should they be produced, and who should produce them? (3) Who should receive goods and services?

What is a shortage give an example? ›

Examples of shortages include food, water, power, and labor. Demand or supply changes can occur for various reasons; not all are related to a price change. Scarcity and shortage are two different, and certain economic shortage characteristics make them stand apart.

What are some examples of shortages? ›

Manufacturers think of shortages more as the actual lack of a part or product. Examples such as the chip crisis or the infamous toilet paper shortage of 2020 continue to pop up in the post-pandemic supply chain. Shortages also occur in the service industry, like the much-discussed shortage of long-haul drivers.

What age do most nurses retire? ›

For nurses with time to plan, the prospect of an early or timely retirement with a properly sized financial portfolio and social security benefits appeals to them when they reach the current full retirement age of about 67 years or even before at 62 years (without full social security benefits).

How old is the average nurse? ›

In the United States, the average age of a registered nurse was 43.5 years old.
...
Distribution of registered nurses in the United States in 2019, by age group.
CharacteristicNumber of registered nurses
--
--
11 more rows
3 May 2021

Is being a nurse worth it 2022? ›

Reasons to Consider a Nursing Career in 2022

The nursing profession is one of the most rewarding, challenging, and respectable jobs out there. Nurses are vitally important in all sorts of healthcare settings, just as much as doctors and surgeons, and they often work in an even more hands-on way with patients.

Which factors affect the nursing shortage? ›

Several factors have contributed to the lack of qualified staff, including:
  • Rising demand to provide care for an aging population.
  • Older nursing workforce approaching retirement.
  • Shortage of trained nurse educators and faculty.
  • High turnover rate.

Why is nursing shortage a problem? ›

Impact on Health Care

Apart from the financial costs, lack of adequate nurses has an inevitable negative impact on the quality of care received by the patients. There is a direct correlation between patient mortality (i.e., risk of death) and shortage of nurses.

What is the average turnover rate for nurses? ›

In 2021, the turnover rate for staff RNs increased by 8.4 percent, resulting in a national average of 27.1 percent. 2. The average cost of turnover for a staff RN is $46,100, with the range averaging $33,900 to $58,300.

What are the four current trends in nursing? ›

A growth in telehealth, an increase in online nursing education, expanding nurse practitioner ranks, the movement of nurses into nonclinical careers, growing practice authority, and technological advances are all changing the face of nursing.

How much do nurses make an hour starting out? ›

How much does a New Graduate Registered Nurse make hourly in the United States? The average hourly wage for a New Graduate Registered Nurse in the United States is $32 as of November 23, 2022, but the salary range typically falls between $29 and $37.

Are nurses leaving the profession? ›

Half of nurses have considered leaving the nursing profession, according to recent polls by staffing agency ConnectRN. Staffing shortages were the top reason nurses cited for planning to leave their jobs, followed by needing better work-life balance, the survey out Tuesday said.

Which of the following is considered a major reason for the current nursing shortage? ›

There are four main contributors to the nursing shortage: Retiring nurses or those choosing to leave the profession. The aging population necessitates increasing the level of care patients require. A nursing faculty shortage capping pre-licensure admission capacity.

What is a thesis statement for nursing? ›

A nursing thesis statement is a central argument or point that you want to prove using logical and emotional reasoning tools. It is the starting point for the rest of your paper. A thesis paper makes a point and supports it using reasoning, analysis, and outside sources.

What is a good thesis statement for health care? ›

“Health care is an essential requirement for well being” (Maruthappu). All over the world, health care is a constant concern because of the difficulty maintaining quality and affordability. In the United States, health care reform has been a huge debate topic.

What is a good nursing mission statement? ›

My mission as a registered nurse is to provide competent and compassionate care to every patient and family member. I vow to remain educated, honest, and professional for the duration of my career. In going to work as a nurse every day, I will be loving to people of all backgrounds and ethnicities.

What are some good research topics for nursing? ›

Nursing research topics
  • Antibiotics impact on childhood immunities.
  • Effects of childhood exposure to environmental pollutants.
  • Effects of second-hand smoke inhalation in early life.
  • Ethics of pediatric care.
  • Genetic factors of diabetes in children.
  • Has neonatal care improved in the last 50 years?

What are 3 common problems in thesis statements? ›

  • 4 Characteristics of an Effective Thesis.
  • 5 Common Problems with Thesis.
  • Lack of Focus.
  • Lack of Supporting Points.
  • Confusing Supporting Points.
  • Too much Information.
  • Inappropriate Language.
  • 5 Common problems with Thesis Statements.

What is an example of a strong thesis statement? ›

A strong thesis statement is specific.

A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you're writing a seven-to-ten page paper on hunger, you might say: World hunger has many causes and effects.

What are the 5 steps in writing a thesis statement? ›

How To Write an Effective Thesis Statement
  • Choose a topic. Before writing a good thesis statement, you'll have to decide what you're writing about. ...
  • Set your objective. ...
  • Encapsulate the main point of your text in as few words as possible. ...
  • Check for spelling and grammar errors. ...
  • Revise your thesis if need be.

What are the hot topics in healthcare 2022? ›

The 4 Biggest Health Care Trends of 2022 and How They Impact America's Employers
  • Healthcare Expertise.
  • Affordability​
  • Digital Health.
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion​
  • Leader Perspectives.
  • People & Culture​
  • Pharmacy Care.
  • Whole Person Health.
17 Dec 2021

What is a 3 point thesis statement? ›

A 3-point thesis statement is a coherent statement that integrates the three essential components of a standard thesis statement, which include a topic, an assertion, and reasons justifying the claim.

What are the 4 rules for a good thesis statement? ›

A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes:
  • take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree.
  • deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment.
  • express one main idea.
  • assert your conclusions about a subject.

What 3 questions should a mission statement answer? ›

Here are four essential questions your company's mission statement must answer:
  • What do we do?
  • How do we do it?
  • Whom do we do it for?
  • What value are we bringing?
10 Jan 2013

What are the 6 core values of nurses that we should possess? ›

Core values of nursing include altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, honesty and social justice [3]. The core ethical values are generally shared within the global community, and they are a reflection of the human and spiritual approach to the nursing profession.

What are the biggest problems facing nursing today? ›

Here are some of the challenges nurses face in their profession:
  • Long shifts. Nurses often work 10- or 12-hour shifts. ...
  • Changing schedules. ...
  • Emotional involvement. ...
  • Physical demands. ...
  • Exposure to illness and chemicals. ...
  • Lack of nurses. ...
  • Changing technology. ...
  • Poor treatment from patients.
25 May 2021

What is the biggest problem in nursing? ›

Stress. The emotional and physical demands of caring for others place another burden on nurses. In an ANA survey of 10,688 nurses, 82% indicated they were at a significant level of risk for workplace stress.

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