Issues in Nursing: Shortages of Nurses

Shortage of Nurses
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Shortage of Nurses
One of the major problems facing many healthcare systems around the world is the shortage of nurses. The challenge became severe during the COVID-19 pandemic when the resources of many hospitals were overwhelmed. The shortage of nurses directly affects patient outcomes and without sufficient plans to address the problem, the healthcare sector could plunge into a crisis. It is apparent that healthcare organizations are primarily concerned about profits while neglecting the interests of key stakeholders including nurses and patients. The nursing shortage problem has been addressed in many media articles, some of which are scholarly while some are targeted at a wider audience. This paper analyzes three articles that have focused on the nursing shortage. The nursing shortage is a complex problem that is mainly driven by the healthcare organizations’ focus on profits at the expense of the affairs of nurses.
Summary of Articles
Article #1: Vesoulis and Abrams (2022)
Published in Time Magazine, the article by Vesoulis and Abrams (2022) explore how contract nurse agencies are reaping huge profits amid the healthcare sector experiencing shortages. While historically nurses have experienced heavy workloads, the COVID-19 pandemic made it worse not only due to workload but also as a result of the health risk of working in hospitals. In the last two years, many nurses quit their jobs to join contract travel nurses who are paid two to four times more. Interestingly, hospitals in turn have to hire contract nurses to fill the gap, creating a vicious cycle. With the contract agencies charging exorbitant rates for their services, hospitals are facing a crisis. The large increase in contract nurses has elevated the staffing budgets for hospitals, which has forced them to call for interventions from the government to investigate the exploitation by contract agencies. With 21% of nurses planning to leave work within six months, the healthcare system could crumble. A key idea from the article is that the poor working environment is main the reason for the shortage. 
Article #2: Haddad et al. (2022)
In this article, the authors highlight the key issues surrounding the nursing shortage. With nurses and midwives totaling about 29 million in number globally, they are an important part of the healthcare system. Job openings for nurses are bound to increase faster than any other occupation in the next few years. The aging population and workforce, career and family issues, burnout, and violence at work are some of the main drivers of the nursing shortage. While the aging population means a higher need for healthcare services, the aging workforce means more nurses are retiring or are bound to retire in the next few years. Given that nurses are primarily female, they often leave work to give birth or take care of family. Burnout and violence in the workplace characterizes the stressful work environment of nurses, prompting many to leave. As nurses quit work, the patient-to-nurse ratios increase, leading to more errors and increased mortality rates. Technology solutions such as Electronic Medical Records (EMR) elevate the shortage problem by taking away nurses from direct care. Empowering nurses by making the workplace conducive can help address the high turnover rate.
Article #3: Chen (2019)
In her article, Chen expounds on how the problem of nursing shortage is more about the shortage of good nursing jobs than actually a shortage of nurses. Nurses are burdened by heavy workloads as they have to work marathon half-day shifts while handling too many patients. According to nurses, the notion of a shortage does not tell the complete picture as factors such as high patient loads, hospital budget cuts, and a focus on profits by hospitals contribute to the problem. The shortage is viewed by labor advocates as artificial because hospitals are preferring to hire less-qualified and less-paid personnel in place of registered nurses. Due to stress, nurses, some of who are just at the start of their careers, have resorted to leaving the profession. Mandates that specify the staffing ratios are key to addressing the issues faced by nurses as well as improving patient outcomes. The author advocates for single-payer insurance, which will ensure staffing levels are sustainable. 
Response to Articles
The authors of the articles possess the relevant experience to write informative and relevant articles on the challenge of nursing shortage. The first article was authored by Abby Vesoulis and Abigail Abrams, both of whom are reporters at Time Ma...