That meant none of them could take any more incoming intensive-care patients. But it's really that we don't have the staff to oversee the patients in the beds. It was a slow day, and everyone got lucky. It marked the first time since 1987 that all metro-area hospitals simultaneously went to divert status, and it stood as a big sign that Colorado's latest nursing shortage was coming home to roost.
Shortages come in cycles.
The last time this happened was in the 1980s, and the profession recruited people into second careers, she says. Approximately 50 percent of the 2.2 million nurses in the United States are entering their 50s, with many leaving the profession in the next 10 years. In addition, only 10 percent of nurses were under the age of 30 in 1996.