Health Persuasive Paper

Persuasive Paper Name: Course title: Professor: Institution: Date Due:  Part 1: The Problem of HealthCare Staff Shortage in Texas In the present healthcare systems in the United Sates, many factors are influencing the demand of nursing services as well as the supply of registered nurses. The negative impact, which the present nursing practice environment has had with regard to retaining qualified nurses as well as the capability of health organizations and relevant departments in recruiting, has been of much concern to various stakeholders. Other factors that may be driving this healthcare staff shortage include: the rise in age of those nurses that are working, high nurse retirements without replacements and poor compensation rates, which leads to many of them resorting to private entities or businesses. Moreover, according to Washington times, nurse retirements could see more than 40% of current nurses in the entire country retire in the next 10 years. This translates to an urgent need for more trained and registered nurses in this state to cover the gap anticipated. The state and federal government should be more concerned on this nurse-patient gap status and think of ways to helping the people of Texas State. It is high time the federal government wakes up from slumber and address the issue of nurse shortages that are being experienced in many parts of the country. This paper will present this problem using Texas County as a case study. In Texas, shortage of nurses and the healthcare workforce in general is one of the critical issues that are posing as a challenge to the healthcare sector and residents. The Center for Nursing Employees reports that the need for registered nurses to work on full time basis exceeded the supply in this region by 22,000. Moreover, this gap is expected to continue growing if funds for training and employing more nurses in this region are not considered. If the present trend in the ever -increasing population increase in the number of old age population who need healthcare attention, and the increased retirement of nurses without replacement, then the nurse-patient gap is expected to grow by 70000 by the year 2020. Repeated pleas by the local people and even the healthcare professional to the federal government in increasing the workforce have yielded no results. Therefore, this problem has become a thorn in the flesh not only for the local residents, but also to the healthcare workforce. The cause underlying this problem could be presented hereunder. In 2012, Texas nursing training centers rejected more than 11,217 applicants who were qualified, due to facilities, faculty, and other resources. The average age of Registered Nurses working in Texas as of October 2012 was 47. The average age of members of faculty at Texas nursing colleges was 53. Nurse retirements could see more than 40% of current nurses retire in the next 10 years. This translates that there is an urgent need for more trained and registered nurses in Texas to cover the gap anticipated. The federal government should be more concerned on this nurse-patient status and think of ways to helping the local people. In the present, four out of five nurses in Texas do not have specific training with regard to their specific roles. Studies conducted by the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce indicates that the hospital vacancy rate for registered nurses in Texas was 6.2% in 2012; this was a decrease from 9.2% realized in 2011. According to researchers, this decline in the vacancy rate in the state hospitals is attributed to economy. During downturn, the rate of participation of nurses in the labor force grows. This is however a temporary incident. When the participation of nurses in the labor force improves as the economy gets better, the problem of nurse shortages continues to be felt. The dynamics that influence the need, demand and supply of the qualified nursing services especially in the present services is in most cases not very predictable and depends on factors such as Medicaid reimbursement and Medicare, which may not be within the control of healthcare organizations or hospitals. The culture of the local levels plus the complexity of health resources delivery systems further complicates this issue (Peterson, 1998). It is therefore, the purpose of this paper in creating awareness to people as well as leaders on the issue of nurse shortages in Texas. We will also present possible solution options in dealing with this issue. The present days are experiencing the speedy changes with regard organization and financing of health care delivery system. Researchers and other professional firms have identified various factors that are inter-related and have come to influence the demand for the nursing services. These factors as identified by these researchers include: Hospital consolidation, reengineering, downsizing and reducing the rates of hospitalization. Other factors include: increasing the acuity of hospital patients, pressures related to cost containment within a health care setting that emanates from managed care and finally moving the outpatient care from hospitals to community environment setting. Many of these factors influence to some level or another, the US healthcare delivery system. Geolot ( HYPERLINK "http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume62001/No1Jan01/ShortageProblemAnswers.html" \l "Geolot" 2000) predicted that, in 2014 the supply of qualified and registered nurses projected might no longer meet the healthcare requirements in many parts of the country. By this, he projected the intersection of severe nurse shortage in many parts of the country. According to him, the subsequently years following 2013 will indicate a vivid widening gap amid the supply of registered nurses with regard to registered nurses requirements. In particular, Texas State has reported problems in hiring and retaining of both specialized and experienced nurses. In addition, recruitment period for registered nurses is usually prolonged in an attempt to acquire the required number for personnel. It is quite apparent that the nurse shortage is currently a problem in our country and the problem is expected to continue if relevant measures are not put in place. If this trend of low enrollments in nursing colleges and other problems, increased aging and retirements go on, then there would be a looming problem with regard to the supply and retention of registered nurses in Texas region. According to Prescott ( HYPERLINK "http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume62001/No1Jan01/ShortageProblemAnswers.html" \l "Prescott" 2000), the increased need for nursing services with regard to the well being of a community or the aging of a particular population is in most cases a secondary consideration for those mandated or aspiring to hire the nurse practitioners and this is what usually drives the demand. In other words, the government that is supposed to ensure the well-being of the community has neglected its role. Prescott goes on that the necessity of qualified, registered nurses in most cases exceeds the demand of particular healthcare systems. Part 2 Solutions to Nursing Shortages in Texas In order to reinforce the public health workers i...