Shortages, Increased Workloads Challenge Nursing Workforce

November 20, 2019 - The current nursing workforce is facing growing pressures on their professional and personal lives due to increased demand for services, nursing shortages, and structural changes in the healthcare industry, according to a new survey.

Twenty-two percent of nurses hold more than one nursing job, and one in five (18 percent) of these nurses said the second job negatively impacts the quality of their work, revealed the survey of 20,000 nurses conducted by AMN Healthcare between March 27 and May 1st. Only 44 percent of nurses also said they have the time they need with patients, and another 44 percent said they often feel like quitting their jobs. 

"From everything we know, this next decade will be extremely challenging for the nursing profession and healthcare in general, with serious workforce issues facing healthcare organizations at a time when many nurses are already experiencing tremendous pressure," Cole Edmonson, DNP, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, FAAN, chief clinical officer at AMN Healthcare, said in a press release.

About two-thirds of nurses said they believe they will be working their current jobs next year, while more than one in four (27 percent) said it is unlikely, according to the survey. 

The findings spell trouble for the nursing turnover rate, which increased rapidly in 2018 when it rose to 18.1 percent, researchers explained citing data from the Advisory Board. In addition, 20 percent of nurses answered that they are planning to retire in the next five years, the survey found.

READ MORE: Physician Shortage Continues to Grow, Reaching Up to 122K by 2032

The aging population will require more nursing demand, but it will also impact nursing supply, the survey stressed. The nation’s aging population is fueling a wave of retirements among Baby Boomer nurses. Since 2012, approximately 60,000 nurses have been retiring each year, and by 2020 there will be only 660,000 Baby Boomer nurses in the healthcare workforce.

For example, of Baby Boomer nurses planning to retire, 39 percent will leave in a year or less, while 86 percent said they plan on retiring within the next five years. 

The aging population is also exacerbating the nursing shortage, the survey showed. The growing shortage of nurses is projected to get worse in the coming decade. Specifically, 52 percent of current nurses in the survey expressed that the nurse shortage has gotten noticeably worse in the last five years, up from 37 percent in 2015. 

The shortages are caused by numerous factors, including an aging US population, which is both increasing the number of patients while restricting the supply of nurses due to retirements and static college-age population, according to the survey.

This is a major problem because other clinician types are also facing shortages. As America’s population ages and demand exceeds supply, physician shortages are intensifying. A Projection by the Association of American Medical College said the US will see a shortage of 46,900 to 121,900 physicians by 2032. 

READ MORE: 13% of People Live in an Area with a Primary Care Physician Shortage

In light of the upcoming retirement wave and the nursing shortage, recruiting and retaining will be important strategies for healthcare organizations moving forward.

Although compensation and benefits are important, almost half of nurses that were surveyed (40 percent), said that flexibility and work-life balance are the most prominent aspects to keep them at their current jobs. In addition, 31 percent said compensation and benefits are the most important factors in staying at their jobs.

Support for professional development is tied to higher career satisfaction and job satisfaction among nurses. But almost one in five nurses (18 percent) say their employers offer no support at all, while only 57 percent say their employers provide tuition reimbursement. Fifty-three percent of nurses also said their organizations offer continuing education, according to the survey.

Healthcare organizations should also address workplace violence to ease the burden placed on the nursing workforce. Forty-one percent of nurses said that they have been victims of some form of violence in the workplace, while another 27 percent have witnessed violence to others. Yet only 11 percent said that their organization has addressed this violence well. 

Healthcare organizations can effect change to improve work-life balance and keep nurses at their jobs by providing support for them in various ways. Supporting nurses in education, enhancing safety practices, improving diversity in the workplace, and other positive influences will help nurses feel comfortable and confident that they can provide quality patient care.

READ MORE: AAMC Projects Physician Shortage to Reach 120K Doctors by 2030

Nurses answered that safety measures (71 percent), engagement of team members (70 percent), and effective leadership (62 percent) are the top influences that support their ability to provide quality patient care, according to the survey.

“It’s particularly critical to hear about the pressures that might drive them away from nursing, and the solutions that might keep them on the job. Perhaps like no other profession, nurses feel immense pride in their profession and in the quality of their work. This personal and professional devotion to the science and art of nursing can be the key to elevating the profession in the coming decade – and with it the health and well-being of the nation through the social determinants of health,” concluded the survey.