The United States is facing a chronic nurse shortage that significantly affects the healthcare industry. For long-term care facilities in particular, the shortage is severe with many facilities struggling to find skilled nurses, healthcare aides, and medical assistance to provide quality care for their residents. The consequences of the healthcare staff shortage are far-reaching and can significantly impact the quality of care of residents.
Growing Dependents Against A Declining Healthcare Workforce
The American population is aging at a rate where the demand for nursing care is growing. As more and more baby boomers begin to retire, there will be a greater need for skilled nurses to provide them with long-term care. The population of people 65 and older is expected to double by 2060, while the number of Americans aged 85 or older is expected to double by 2050 (U.S Census Bureau).
These factors have led America’s healthcare industry into a state of crisis: today’s nurses are working harder than ever before; but there aren’t enough qualified nurses, and even when they are, they aren’t easily approachable.
The demand for nursing care is growing at a rapid pace, with an estimated 2 million new jobs opening up by 2024. However, this projected growth does not account for the number of nurses who will leave their positions due to retirement or other reasons. As such, there will be a severe shortage of qualified professionals available to fill these roles if nothing changes soon.
Long-term care facilities are struggling to keep up with increasing enrollment and staffing shortages.
The shortage of nurses is at its highest point in over 20 years, according to a recent report from the American Hospital Association (AHA). Nursing staff shortages have been on the rise since 2014, when there were about 3 million registered nurses working in all fields across America. Now that number has fallen by almost half–to 1.6 million–in just five years’ time.
A poll of long-term care providers by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living found that nearly 99 % nursing homes and 96% of assisted living communities are experiencing staffing shortages. Nearly 60% of nursing homes characterized their staffing situation as “severe,” while 30% of assisted living communities reported the same. Since June, 86% of nursing homes and 77% of assisted living providers indicated that their workforce situation has somewhat or greatly worsened.
The nursing shortage can create significant challenges for long-term care facilities across the country, including here in Texas.
Staffing shortages in long-term care facilities forces organizations to limit admissions
The nursing shortage can also have a negative impact on patient care. If there aren’t enough nurses to meet the needs of a facility, it may be forced to turn away new patients or discharge existing ones before they are ready. This is especially true for facilities that are already operating at capacity.
This situation can cause long wait times for patients who need care, as well as stress for those who are waiting for placement in one facility or another and could benefit from being in hospice care sooner rather than later.
ANA urges HHS to declare national nurse staffing crisis, adopt new policies to bolster workforces
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, ANA President Pam Cipriano called on him to declare a national nurse staffing crisis.
“We are facing an unprecedented shortage of nurses that is putting patients at risk,” said Cipriano. “Nurses have been operating in this environment for far too long, and it’s time for action.” The association also urged HHS to adopt new policies that would bolster the workforce by improving pay and benefits; increasing opportunities for career advancement.
Traditional hiring methods are inefficient
In today’s competitive job market, it’s important for organizations to find new ways of recruiting and hiring employees without wasting time and money. Traditional hiring methods are slow and costly because they require a lot of manual effort–and when you’re dealing with thousands of applicants, those little things add up quickly! At the same time, using an AI-driven talent marketplace like SkillGigs can save your company hours or even days in the long run by speeding up your recruitment process.
SkillGigs is a talent marketplace that pairs skilled healthcare job seekers with AI-matched work opportunities. SkillGigs was founded in 2017 on the belief that companies and talent should be able to interact seamlessly, so it’s dedicated to empowering users by removing traditional barriers from the hiring process. The company’s patented AI software matches talent with jobs tailored to their skills, while giving companies like yours strong candidates who are ready to work–all without a single recruiter.
