What solutions exist then to improve the nursing shortage? I will divide the solutions into two macrogroups and examine each one.
Group 1: involves the training and promotion of the nursing profession. These solutions are not new, but achieving them has proven to be a long and complex process.
- A joint effort by healthcare, philanthropic and government organizations in conjunction with the universities to increase the number of seats available to educate new nurses. This involves:
- grant scholarships at all levels to study nursing
- increase the number of programs that help non-nursing college graduates pursue nursing careers (these programs typically take 16 months plus some basic science prerequisites).
- incentives to incorporate more professionals into educational functions, both as teachers and as preceptors. There is a great need to add money and prestige to become teachers!
- many organizations offer tuition reimbursements for nurses to advance their careers, but few promote the spin to become nursing professors (that’s particularly rare at large university medical centers!)
- expand academic program offerings to add flexible evening and weekend classes
- Great efforts are needed to promote nursing as an exciting and well-compensated career path.
- I have yet to see attempts to offer high school students vocational classes that lead to nursing. I’m not talking about basic science prerequisite courses, but an innovative (and motivating) class that reflects the value and enormous scope of the profession.
- Health organizations must also promote nursing among the younger generations. So much capital is spent on incentives, temp agencies, and recruiting efforts, but little or nothing on internship and follow-on opportunities… nursing is very talented at developing these forums for students to learn and develop skills.
- America has a professional value system in which financial reward dwarfs community service. Nursing provides a “better” hybrid than professions like teaching, social work, or psychology that generally offer lower compensation (this is a fact, not a value statement on my part!). However, little is marketed about it!
