8/12/2019 Causes and Consequences of Nurse Shoratage
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Aspen Pub./JONA lwwj014-02 December 28, 2004 3:44
Causes and Consequences of the
Nurse Shortage
Developing a Solution in Illinois
Joan Shaver, PhD, RN, FAAN
Registered nurses (RNs) have been managing cycli-cal shortages
of nurses for 50 years. However, thecurrent andprojected shortage
over thenext15 yearswill be more enduring and much more critical.
Ac-cording to the 2002 report by the Health Resourcesand Services
Administration of the US Departmentof Health and Human Services, 30
states in 2000reported a shortage of nurses, with this number
ex-pected to include 44 states by 2020.1
The health policy arena includes many stake-holders, complex
data, and diverse policy options.
Historically, nurses and nursing issues were not in-tegral to
health policy discussions. Although muchhas changed in recent
years, we are often enlisted asresource experts only after
theagenda setting processhas started. I contend that we have more
to offer inthe search for solutions to wide-ranging
healthcareissues.
The College of Nursing at the University ofIllinois at Chicago,
especially over the last 8 years,has facilitated forums for
dialogue between tradi-
tionally disparate experts. Theseforums allow multi-disciplinary
scholars and collaborators to synthesizeand apply empirical-based
knowledge to define coreissues and formulate aligned health policy.
Ourbroad-based, academic partnerships have resulted inpublications,
invited congressional testimony,
Authors affiliation:Professor and Dean, College of
Nursing,University of Illinois at Chicago.
Correspondence: University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S
Damen Ave, MC-802, Chicago, IL 60612 ([email protected]).
funded research, and advisory input to electedofficials at the
local, state, and federal levels.
The following 4 articles stem from the recentconference Causes
and Consequences of the NurseShortage: Developing a Solution in
Illinois. At theconference, participants addressed some of the
mostdifficult challenges confronting nursing leaders in thecurrent
climate of labor shortages, staffing crises,and economic
restraints. It was a generative oppor-tunity to hear from some top
nurseleaders as well aseconomists, physicians, insurers, and
lobbyists. The
more data, advocacy, and support for nursing andhealthcare that
we create through our profession,the more political influence we
will be afforded.
As you read these articles, I challenge you toglean ideas that
will help you effectively advocatefor vastly improved care systems
for patients, as wellas manage, recruit, and retain a strong and
viablenursing work force. Now, more than ever, we needmultiple
partners and allies to influence the deliv-ery of care in a
vulnerable US healthcare system
and ameliorate the overriding potential of adversepatient
outcomes related to an inadequate nursingwork force.
Reference
1. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources
and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health
Pro-fessions. Projected supply, demand and shortages of
registerednurses: 20002020. July 2002. Available at:
http://bhpr.hrsa.
gov/healthworkforce/reports/rnproject/report.htm.
AccessedSeptember 7, 2004.
10 JONA Vol. 35, No. 1 January 2005
