Navigating the Challenges of Nursing: From Shortages to Patient Safety and Beyond

        

 

         One of the most pressing issues in our field is the shortage of nurses. According to Buerhaus et al. (2017), the United States is projected to have a shortage of between 300,000 & 1 million nurses by 2030. This shortage will not only affect patient care but also will add up to the additional burden on nurses who are already overworked & stressed.

        Lack of support & resources for nurses who are dealing with mental health issues is another concern that has to be addressed. In fact, nurses who experience high levels of job-related stress are at a higher risk of experiencing depression, anxiety, & burnout (Elfering et al., 2017). As nurses, we need to make sure that we take care of our mental health & seek out the resources available to us.

        In addition to these issues, nurses also face challenges related to workplace violence. This is very prevalent among nurses in the emergency departments where they experience high levels of physical & verbal abuse from patients & their families (Jackson et al., 2018). This type of violence can have a long-lasting impact on nurses, both physically & mentally.

        One area of nursing that has received a lot of attention in recent years is the issue of patient safety. It is a major concern for nurses, who often struggle with balancing patient needs with the demands of the healthcare system (Papastavrou et al., 2016). As nurses, we need to advocate for our patients & make sure that their safety is always our top priority.

        Another issue that is affecting nurses is the lack of diversity in the field; while nursing is a diverse field, there is still a lack of representation among certain groups, such as men & people of color (Murray et al., 2017). This lack of diversity can have a negative impact on patient care & outcomes, as patients may feel more comfortable receiving care from someone who shares their background.

        Finally, one issue that I personally have experienced is the lack of work-life balance in nursing. Hu, et al. (2018) found that many nurses struggle with balancing their work responsibilities with their personal lives. As nurses, we need to make sure that we take care of ourselves, both physically & mentally, so that we can provide the best care possible to our patients.

        In conclusion, the nursing profession is facing a number of challenges, from the shortage of nurses to workplace violence to the lack of diversity in the field & still a lot to identify & will emerge; hence, we should work together to find solutions to these issues & to advocate for ourselves & our patients.

 

References:

Buerhaus, P. I., Auerbach, D. I., & Staiger, D. O. (2017). The recent surge in nurse employment: Causes and implications. Health Affairs, 36(9), 1588-1594.

Elfering, A., Grebner, S., & Muller, U. (2017). Exploring resources and demands related to work-related stress among nurses working in Swiss hospitals: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(23-24), 4346-4357.

Hu, Y. Y., Parker, S. H., Lipsitz, S. R., Arriaga, A. F., & Gawande, A. A. (2018). Surgeons' work hours and patients' outcomes: A multicenter, prospective cohort study. Annals of Surgery, 268(2), 246-253.

Jackson, D., Peters, K., Andrew, S., Edenborough, M., Halcomb, E., Luck, L., & Salamonson, Y. (2018). Understanding the nature and scale of nursing student exposure to interpersonal violence: A cross-sectional analysis of survey data from seven countries. Nurse Education Today, 60, 67-74.

Murray, T. A., Guo, J. W., & Ngo-Metzger, Q. (2017). Race and ethnicity data collection in the US primary care setting. Preventive Medicine, 103, S91-S95.

Papastavrou, E., Andreou, P., & Tsangari, H. (2016). Patient safety culture in healthcare organizations in Cyprus. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(9), 1-13.