There will always be patients who need care, but will there always be enough nurses to provide it? This question provides a huge concern to the issue of nursing shortages, which is frequently assessed and reassessed by a variety of professional contingents.

One main concern about a nursing shortage lies in the fact that 900,000 of the 3 million nurses are over 50 years old, making them close to retirement age. Not only is a significant portion of the nursing population ready to retire, but also the general population in the United States is living longer. This creates a greater need for more nurses to deliver skilled healthcare to the aging population. That said, the following are what the most recent studies have shown:

The Statistics

Most nursing shortage studies in the United States gather information based on the 23 to 26 year old registered nurse (RN) population. These numbers originate from a collaborative study done by researchers from the RAND Corporation, Vanderbilt University and Dartmouth College.

• The total number of RNs peaked at 190,000 in 1979.
• In 1991, the total number of RNs fell to 110,000 and remained low for about 10 years when the total reached 102,000 in 2002.
• From 1983 to 1998, the number of working RNs, under 30 years old, dropped from 30% to 12% of the workforce. This change raised the average age of the working RN population to 42 years old, up from the previous average age of 37 years.
• The nursing shortage began a slow reversal reaching a total of 165,000 RNs in 2009. This represents a 62% increase in new RNs from 2002 through 2009.

Interesting Fact

When newly licensed RNs in 25 states were surveyed by a New York University study, the results showed that one half of them work within 15 miles of where they went to high school.

The Shortage is Better

Several reasons factor into an improvement in the number of RNs in the current workforce.

A concerted effort by educational institutions has been a monumental contributor. The expanded enrollment capabilities in nursing programs accounts for an overall enrollment increase each year for the last 7 years. A decline of employment in fields other than healthcare has helped to make nursing a popular profession.

Accelerated nursing program schedules allow students to complete programs and join the workforce sooner than previously allowed.

The downturned economy has, somewhat oddly, helped to alleviate the nursing shortage. In order to satisfy their family’s economic needs, currently employed nurses are working extra shifts and postponing their retirement, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. This trend fills the need with experience staff, thus eliminating orientation costs and mentoring coverage. This is a bonus for the healthcare institution.

Future Outlook

Surveys predict that the shortage will spike in 2015. By 2020, the number of additional nurses needed to fulfill the healthcare needs in the U.S. is 400,000 (285,000). Looking ahead, if RNs continue to graduate at today’s rate, by 2030, there should be enough licensed RNs to meet the nation’s demand.

One caveat to the nursing shortage is the overall system changes that are needed. It is a supply and demand kind of issue: 40,000 qualified applicants were not accepted last year to any nursing program. Why, you ask? Throughout the U.S., larger education facilities that house nursing programs are needed to accommodate potential students. With the rising number of nurses over 50 years old, more RNs need to pursue higher education, beyond entry level, to replace the aging nursing professor population. Without adequate facilities and the professors, there will be an insufficient number of nursing program graduates to round out our healthcare needs.