Healthcare is an industry that evolves rapidly. Healthcare professionals must, therefore, rapidly adapt as technology, medicine, and societal health concerns change. While this breakneck pace is a good thing in some ways, it also means that the issues the healthcare professionals encounter are constantly changing as well. Given that nurses are among the most integral members of the healthcare community, this is especially true for them. So, what are the top issues facing nurses today in 2018? Well, obviously this depends on whom you ask. However, even though some nurses will give varying responses, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has identified three areas that top the list of issues facing nurses today: safe staffing levels, mandatory overtime, and safety on the job. Of course, many nurses face other issues in their professional lives. However, for the purpose of this blog, we are going to focus on these three topics.
The Three Top Issues Facing Nurses Today
Safe Staffing Levels
Between different factors like the Affordable Care Act, which increased the number of insured Americans, and the aging population of the United States, the demand for healthcare services has grown rapidly in the past decade. While providers respond to this growth in demand differently, maintaining safe staffing levels of nurses has been difficult. Since the number of patients that hospitals and clinics see is increasing, the ratio of patients to nurses has also been increasing. Given the problematic nursing shortage, it has not necessarily been easy to find a solution either. However, when too few nurses are responsible for too many patients, problems can arise for both the patients and the nurses caring for them. Looking ahead, it will be increasingly important for healthcare providers to ensure that they have an adequate number of nurses on staff to care for their patients.
Mandatory Overtime
As is true across the healthcare industry, no two problems are entirely unrelated. This is especially true of the first two issues facing nurses today. As hospitals struggle to maintain safe staffing levels, they are frequently resorting to mandatory overtime for nurses. Nursing staffs are spread thinner than ever between the widespread national nursing shortage and temporary local shortages. In fact, more than half of all hospital nurses work more than 12 hours per day and 17 percent work mandatory overtime. One possible solution to this problem is to employ more travel nurses when hospitals face temporary nursing shortages. After all, that is a win-win situation for everyone involved!
Safety on the Job
Job safety is important to all professions. Yet, nurses face many unique hazards. Common safety concerns for nurses include patient handling, safe needles, workplace violence, and illness. While you can’t entirely control all of these hazards, there are best safety practices for nurses that can help. Steps, like practicing proper sanitizing and using lift and transfer equipment when helping patients move, are important steps for keeping everyone safe on the job. However, given that this is a top issue facing nurses across the country, it is important for hospitals to recognize and take steps in addressing safety concerns as well.
Do you experience these or other issues in your job? Let us know in the comments below! Nurses are central to the healthcare industry and yet their contributions unfortunately often go unrecognized and underappreciated. Healthcare administrators and professionals alike must all come together to recognize the top issues facing nurses and work towards solutions. This said, as we mentioned before, not all problems are universal. If you find that you are unsatisfied with your current position, consider looking for new nursing jobs elsewhere! You never know, a different provider may just be a better fit for you in your professional life.
December 22, 2018
Too many of the hired staff are under trained and under experienced to complete the tasks at hand. As an LPN with over 40 years of experience I am considered under qualified compared to an Associate Degree RN fresh out of school. Boggles my mind.
December 22, 2018
We have lifting equipment “somewhere in the hospital” taking a half hour to an hour to locate this equipment is not practical. While we are running around looking for equipment, a lot can be happening to our patients on the floor.
Also an over abundance of computer charting means 2/3 of our time is spent staring at a computer screen and not our patients.
The last major problem I see is the availability of wifi. While most nurses are running to take care of their patients there is always a few that are scanning on line media, taking selfies, or doing on line Shopping and not pulling their weight with the patient loads.
December 23, 2018
I don’t know why it’s thought LPN/LVNs are lightweights. I have been a shift supervisor 4 times. I wwas asked to be a unit manager but declined. I have 47yrs of longterm care exp. Most times the job was great.Until I went to Tx. It was awful-40 to 90 residents! And my last job as many as 180-yes. Until we get the feds to set staffing ratios in longterm care tragedies will occur. I have done trachs, vents, TPN,started IVs,monitored cancer drips,did suction care. Don’t sell us short.
December 24, 2018
Jail conditions are the worst in nursing field. The ratios can be nurse pouring meds for 120 inmates at a time. Their daily staffing ratio is 1-75 inmates. The violence. The threats. Absolutely unsafe. And when there is a shortage the caseload goes up.
December 24, 2018
I have been an LPN for 6 years and can perform skills better than some of the RN that I know. Yet I was asked by an EMT the other day if I was an LPN or a Nurse! We get very low pay compared to an RN and do the sam if not more than an RN. my ratio now in LTC 1-60. We are in serious need of Set Ratios. The Facility just cut staff even more to cut corners. Hospitals now won’t hire LPNs which is the craziest thing I have heard. They would rather be short staffed than hire a qualified LPN!!!!
December 30, 2018
Please, how can Nurses trained outside the US apply to join? Can you kindly provide us with the requisite, detailed and legal process. Many have tried but ended up in the hands of wrong and unscrupulous agents. Thank you!
December 31, 2018
Many facilities are short-staffed simply because the company is greedy and refuses to acknowledge unsafe staffing ratios. This is nothing more than greed in its purest form and will NEVER change until companies are forced by government regulations to increase staffing. As it stands now, it just is not possible to complete all the redundant paperwork AND take care of our people. Sadly, it seems our patients come first only to US.
June 12, 2019
I agree with with everything that being said, in addittion to my work place all the newly hired and unexperience nurses are being given preference over the more season nurses we’re being taking off our regular days to accommodate them and most of them have other jobs, so to spend all these years working on a job and dedication you push aside in favor of a new nurse get want she wants but can’t handle most situations on the floor.
June 14, 2019
Not only are we working short staffed for long hours in unsafe conditions; we are working for next to nothing compared to the importance and urgency of the job.
June 22, 2019
Nursing is nothing like when I started 28 years ago. Constantly interuppted doing med pass. Families, aids, residents, staff. When I started there were med pass nurses. She only did meds. No one was allowed to interrupted her you went to the nurse assigned to floor. She was sent a message if prn meds was needed. On pager. And there was IV teams
More focus, less errors.
Healthcare is being run by Business men now and their focus is profit. Not safety. When errors are made it falls on the nurses providing the care and management does not back the nurses. Compromising excellent nurses.
June 22, 2019
I’m not a nurse,but I assist the nurse. It’s very overwhelming and takes a toll on your mental and physical being. Patients shouldn’t have to suffer due to understaffed facilities. Bottom line,healthcare workers are underpaid and that’s part of the issues.