A nursing shortage impacts every aspect of the medical community, from the quality of care hospitals can provide to each individual patient’s experience. The U.S. Health Resources Services Administration projects that in 11 short years, 2020; there will be a shortfall of 800,000 nurses. We see an opportunity. Fueled in part by the steady stream of graduates from MedCentral College of Nursing, our region has not felt the impact of the nursing shortage to the degree of other communities nationwide. We believe that with our forward thinking, and your continued financial support, we can recruit, train and retain a qualified network of nurses and provide an exceptional level of care for our community.
Fact SheetThe shortage of registered nurses in the U.S. could reach as high as 500,000 by 2025 according to a report released by Dr. Peter Buerhaus and colleagues in March 2008. The report, titled The Future of the Nursing Workforce in the United States: Data, Trends and Implications, found that the demand for RNs is expected to grow by 2% to 3% each year. According to the latest projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published in the November 2007 Monthly Labor Review, more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2016. Government analysts project that more than 587,000 new nursing positions will be created through 2016 (a 23.5% increase). According to American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s report on 2008-2009
Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away 49,948 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2008 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. Almost two-thirds of the nursing schools responding to the survey pointed to faculty shortages as a reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into their programs. |
Information gathered from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. www.aacn.nche.edu/IDS