While the number of patients in hospitals is declining, health care officials said those people who are in the hospital now are sicker than before. Nursing is more than the sum total of the tasks involved in providing care to the sick, injured or debilitated. Shortages have been documented across the country, however, not all states are expected to experience this shortage at the same time. There is no doubt that specialty areas such as the intensive care units, labor and delivery, and emergency room areas have had significant deficits, but there is evidence to suggest that this shortage will cross all disciplines. But it s not just the patients who are getting older.
Experts say the country s nursing corps is aging faster than nearly every other profession.
The average age of a nurse in the United States is now more than 44 years. The mean has grown so steadily this decade that some healthcare experts are predicting a professional crisis in the making. Garden Hill Nursing Station has funding for 8.5 staff but only three nurses currently. While the Organisation believes the matter needs to be urgently addressed and has called for a number of measures to be implemented immediately, the Department intends to undertake detailed research on the subject before revising manpower arrangements. The Royal College of Nursing in Scotland said the shortages were even worse at this time of year because hospitals could not rely on agency nurses who had no obligation to work during the festive period.