Nurses, Thank You! The year 2020 has been designated as the “Year of the Nurse” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in honor of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. This is very fitting as Nightingale is known for caring for soldiers who were gravely ill or injured in the Crimean War while also using science and statistics to advocate to provide proper medical care which significantly reduced the death rate.
Nursing is once again serving at the front lines during the current COVID19 pandemic. Local and national news is filled with displays of gratitude and recognition for all nurses who unselfishly care for our most vulnerable citizens. According to the American Nurses’ Association, the Gallup poll has once again identified nursing as the most honest and ethical profession for the last 18 consecutive years.
Nursing is our nation’s largest healthcare profession. Nurses are the member of the healthcare team that work closely and advocate for their patients often sharing confidential information and gaining both respect and trust of not only the patient but the family and significant others. This special relationship is often reported as the reason why many nurses continue their profession into retirement. Others chose nursing because of the diversity of opportunities in which to practice, ranging from high-risk premature infants to fragile elderly persons. School nursing, public health, emergency, home health, hospice, flight nursing, rehabilitation, informatics, and maternal child are only a few such options. Regardless of the field chosen, the nurse is the bond between all healthcare providers and the patient.
The Florida Center for Nursing forecasts that Florida will face a shortage of registered nurses (RNs) by 2025 that could incapacitate our healthcare system while also limiting access to healthcare for Floridians. The Health Resources and Services Administration projects that more than 1 million registered nurses will reach retirement age within the next 10 to 15 years. Just as America’s population is aging, more than 40% of Florida’s nurses are approaching retirement age within the next 10 years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor projects employment of registered nurses will increase 12% from 2018 to 2028 exceeding all other occupations. Unfortunately, although nursing schools are actively recruiting students, there are not enough nurses entering the profession to replace those retiring or to meet the demands placed on the tenuous healthcare system by aging baby boomers. This deficiency in graduates can be attributed to lack of faculty, preceptors, clinical sites, and budget limitations.
Nurses believe this nursing shortage reduces the quality of their work life and the quality of patient care. The stress produced by working understaffed leads to many leaving the profession. There are many creative approaches being implemented to reduce these barriers. Partnerships between nursing programs and practice partners not only help with the budget restraints but often provide scholarships to students.
This partnership can also reduce the time needed in orientation and reduce the stress of the novice nurse entering the workforce as they are already familiar with the facility, staff, and patient population. Preceptors are often the first impression of a “real nurse” that students experience. Preceptors’ efforts can be recognized by credit to advance up the career ladder which often comes with monetary awards and recognition.
Unfortunately, preceptors not only serve students but also are often pulled to orient a new nurse, causing a strain on the time they have to share their expertise with students. Accepting the role of nursing faculty may also mean a cut in salary as they move from practice to academia. To encourage nurses to accept faculty positions, incentives such as loan forgiveness have been implemented. In addition to the barriers, there is a need to increase not only ethnic but also gender diversity of nurses.
Nursing remains a predominantly female profession, but currently about 13% of all nurses in the United States today are men compared to only about 2% in 1960. The American Association for Men in Nursing provides information for men interested in nursing as a career and supports men who are already nurses. Other nursing associations support increasing diversity in the profession to mirror the population of the United States.
Who better to care for our diverse citizens in South Florida than someone who has experienced the community and witnessed the inequalities suffered by many residents? Miami Dade College (MDC) is proud of not only the diversity of our faculty but also the diversity of our students who mirror the ethnicity of South Florida. Nursing is a profession comprised of compassion and knowledge – a profession that truly makes a difference.
