What's Causing the American Nursing Shortage? (2023)

FAQs

Why is there a nursing shortage in the United States? ›

The U.S. faces a nursing shortage due to an aging population and retiring nurses, creating abundant opportunities for nurses nationwide. The need for nurses aligns with all-time highs in increased demand for healthcare.

The United States nursing shortage is driven by many factors, including an increased need for care, large numbers of the workforce reaching retirement age, and recent healthcare legislation.

Nursing has been an in-demand profession for years, with nearly every major hospital hiring for one of healthcare's most important roles. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on average, around 195,400 openings for registered nurses are projected from 2021-2031.

The RN workforce is expected to grow from 3.1 million in 2021 to 3.3 million in 2031, an increase of 195,400 nurses. The Bureau also projects 203,200 openings for RNs each year through 2031 when nurse retirements and workforce exits are factored into the number of nurses needed in the U.S.

The nursing shortage cannot be solved unless higher education institutions train more nurses. Research and interviews with experts present ample evidence that capacity within higher education is significantly lower than what is needed.

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.

With an advancing baby boomer population, the Affordable Care Act expanding access to medical services, clinical and faculty employment numbers low, and proficient nurses leaving their posts to retire, the call for more healthcare professionals to enter the medical field is a ringing reality.

More nurses will choose to specialize.

Nurses who choose to specialize find that they are in higher demand and can often command higher salaries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that Registered Nurses have a median salary of $77,600 and a projected job growth of 6% between 2021 and 2031.

Nursing shortages have been a problem for decades and will persist well after Covid-19 subsides. Not only is the US population aging, but nurses themselves are getting older. Some researchers estimate that 1 million registered nurses will retire by 2030.

Is the nursing shortage getting worse? ›

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.

Often there is not enough staff for the number of patients, and the demand placed on nurses has only increased in recent years. The patient volume and acuity have increased and there is not enough staff to meet that demand.

Researchers estimated that the US will have a 10 to 20 percent nursing gap by 2025 as the number of patients needing care exceeds the number of nurses. The RN supply could potentially see a low of 2.4 million, while the RN demand could be a low of 2.8 million nurses.

In response to this national shortage, states have examined a variety of options to recruit and retain nurses. Specific policy levers include loosening licensing requirements, changing scope of practice laws, bolstering educational programs, and offering monetary incentives.

Concerns of new nurses lacking confidence have been reported for many years. Ortiz (2016), who interviewed 12 new nurses working in hospitals in New York state, reported that all participants lacked professional confidence during their first year of practice.

Before Covid struck, HHS expected seven states — Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas — to have staffing shortages by 2030.

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.

Registered nurse (RN)

BSN-prepared nurses are the most sought-after RNs in the job market and can advance to leadership and management roles more quickly than the ASN nurse.

There are countless nursing specialties that one can choose from, especially given the ongoing nursing shortage. 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 states have the happiest nurses? ›

Seeing the death of their patients.

Most nurses said seeing the death of patients was the hardest part of their job, including Heather, a nurse from North Carolina, and Chelsey Rodgers, a former nurse who now runs an education company called Tribe RN.

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.

Nursing requires more dedication than many other careers. However, it's one of the most rewarding jobs you can have. Nursing school is notoriously difficult—and it's not for everyone. Graduate school is challenging as well.

The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist consistently ranks as the highest-paid nursing career. That is because Nurse Anesthetists are highly skilled Registered Nurses who work closely with medical staff during medical procedures that require anesthesia.

The Beginning of the Shortage

This is exactly what happened in the mid-1930s, when several technological, economic, and health care-related events combined to increase the demand for registered nurses and to lay the groundwork for a shortage.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) earn a nationwide average of $202,470 per year according to the BLS; this makes CRNAs the highest-paying type nursing job by a significant margin.

It seems unlikely that robots will take over all the duties of a nurse within our lifetime. However, it is important to upgrade your skills in order to remain attractive for employers as machines begin to fulfill more tasks, and nurses are assigned new responsibilities in their place.

Which country has high demand for nurses? ›

USA. In the US, a registered nurse's salary is well above the average income. An RN will earn around $67,490 per year. The lowest nurse's income is around $45,000, while the top 10% of nurses pull in over $94,000 per year.

If this shortage is not addressed, patients may experience more negative health outcomes. Studies, such as Spetz's 2011 article in Medical Care, show that higher nurse staffing protected patients from poor outcomes.

Robots and automated tech will essentially just be another tool for nurses to bring increased efficiency to their jobs, and while there are many exciting developments coming out of the healthcare tech industry, including those that make nurses jobs easier, it's probably safe to say that you won't be out of a job ...

These include: Adjusting staff schedules, hiring additional HCP, and rotating HCP to positions that support patient care activities. Cancel all non-essential procedures and visits. Shift HCP who work in these areas to support other patient care activities in the facility.

So, why do travel nurses get paid more? It's because they fill short-term needs, accept assignments in areas with severe nursing shortages, receive extra compensation for their flexibility and work in hard-to fill specialties.

According to the report, as many as 13 million more nurses may be needed by 2030; the world's current nursing workforce totals approximately 28 million. The report explains that taking action to sustain and retain workers could minimize the shortage.

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.

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).

High demand and good job outlook

You do not have to worry about not finding a job as a nurse. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the position of a registered nurse has a promising job outlook with a projected growth of 9% from 2020 to 2030.

Among the most common reasons for nurse turnover include nurses feeling underappreciated, dealing with short staffing, and the strains of hard mental/physical labor.

Is there a real nursing shortage? ›

California tops the list with an estimated 44,500 deficit in registered nurses, nearly three times the deficit in the next shortest state.

Ninety percent of respondents are considering leaving the nursing profession in the next year, with 71% of nurses that have more than 15 years of nursing experience thinking about leaving as soon as possible or within the next few months.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on average, around 195,400 openings for registered nurses are projected from 2021-2031. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

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.

Despite being one of the fastest-growing occupations in the country, demand for nurses is outpacing the supply, she wrote. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, by 2022 there will be more than 1 million jobs for RNs.

Early Retirement and Burnout

Unprecedented stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many nurses to leave the profession early and retire from their current positions. This is on top of those who are already close to retirement age.

BSN-prepared nurses are the most sought-after RNs in the job market and can advance to leadership and management roles more quickly than the ASN nurse.

The median age of a registered nurse is 52 years old. 9.4% of the RN and 8.1% of the LPN/LVN workforce are men. The number of male nurses has tripled over the past 50 years. In the Pacific region of the U.S., 30.5% of nurses are people of color, the largest percentage in the country.

What is the problem with nursing shortage? ›

Nursing shortages lead to errors, higher morbidity, and mortality rates. In hospitals with high patient-to-nurse ratios, nurses experience burnout, dissatisfaction, and the patients experienced higher mortality and failure-to-rescue rates than facilities with lower patient-to-nurse ratios.

Personal Health

Along with being mentally exhausting, working as a nurse is physically strenuous. Many nurses suffer from back problems and sore feet. Working 12-hour shifts is physically demanding but wearing specially-designed shoes can ease problems and keep nurses on their feet at all times.