Health Care's Human Crisis: The American Nursing Shortage

New report funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released

The current nursing drought is not like previous shortages, it is about to get worse, and the tried and true solutions of the past are unlikely to solve it. Those are the principal findings of a new report, Health Care's Human Crisis: The American Nursing Shortage, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The report, which offers recommendations for turning this critical shortage around, is available free online at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Web site.

The Foundation commissioned the report to better understand the issues surrounding the nursing shortage. The study finds the current situation fundamentally different from those in the past, reflecting dissatisfaction with the profession by nurses and competition from other career opportunities for women. Health Care's Human Crisis: The American Nursing Shortage offers a broad look the nursing shortage in the United States, including:

• a history of nursing with recommendations to advance it to new levels of practice and professionalism;
• an examination of the social, cultural and economic factors driving the nursing shortage;
• a look at how other fields are coping with workforce shortages;
• a study of 15 markets around the country, assessing the extent of the problem;
• results of focus groups with nurses offering telling insights into the work environment and perceptions of their profession;
• and recommendations for how to turn this shortage around.

Download News Release detailing the findings of the report and its recommendations.