And it's demanding that hospitals, legislators and Congress take action to solve the staffing crisis. If current trends continue, in 10 years the demand for registered nurses across the country will exceed availability by about 20 percent, Martin says. That means one in five patients will not receive care from a registered nurse. There were 2.2 million registered nurses working in health-care settings in 2000, and 59.1 percent of them worked in hospitals, according to a report released in February by the Bureau of Health Professions, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But average salaries, adjusted for inflation, have remained basically unchanged since 1992, according to the report.
Stagnant salaries are just one of many reasons behind the nurse shortage.
Working conditions are another factor. The staffing shortage puts patients at risk because there aren't enough nurses to oversee patient treatment, care and recovery, the UAN claims. Unless something is done, the staffing shortfall is only going to get worse. About half of all nurses are in their 50s and many will retire within the next 10 years, Martin says. Dr. Richard Levinson, associate executive director of the American Public Health Association, agrees with Martin's prediction that the nursing shortage will worsen during the coming decade.