Nurses are a fundamental part of the medical field and, without an adequate supply of trained nurses, it is very clear that the general population will suffer greatly. In fact, the number of fatalities have risen and the satisfaction of care that is reported by patients has fallen as the shortage of nurses continues to hinder the quality of care that is received in all areas of medical facilities (“Nursing Shortage,” 2007). While the need for more nurses is well established, the ways to fix this shortage is often considered through recruitment. However, there are areas of concern as to how these nurses will be trained that make a mere notion of recruitment lacking in the ability to sustain the necessary nursing staff.
According to the article, “Nursing Shortage,” (2007), the nursing programs at the majority of institutions are not well established and are often too expensive for the average student to enroll. The institutions do not have appropriate equipment and often do not have adequate staff to meet the needs of a large pool of potential nurses. This then limits the number of students who are accepted into the nursing programs and the number of nurses who are able to graduate from these programs.
As it is clear that the health of the general population stands at risk due to this shortage of nurses, the best way to combat the issue is to increase the government funding for the nursing programs at the universities. By investing in appropriate equipment, more educators, and a larger enrollment capability, these funds would increase the number of students in the nursing programs. This would then lead to more nurses in the workforce who have been properly trained to use the newer technology. This government funding would then be responsible for improving the health conditions of the general population by providing the medical field with an adequate number of well trained nurses.
- “Nursing Shortage.” (2007). Nursing-Career.org. Retrieved from: http://www.nursing-career.org/Nursing_Shortage
