Charles H. Roadman II, M.D., wrote recently concerning the nursing shortage we are facing as a nation and offered as a solution the "Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2001." He seemed to blame the shortage on a lack of recruitment to nursing schools. The real reasons for the nursing shortage, however, are quite different and simple.
The primary reason is this: Traditional career molds for women have been destroyed. Women today are narrowing their career choices to those that will bring them creditable compensation, as well as factors that will augment their quality of life.
Today's nursing profession falls short on both of these counts! The nursing graduates of today can expect to work nights, weekends and holidays. In order to obtain good performance reviews and decent pay increases, they will also have to work extra shifts or overtime. They will be working in stressful and understaffed conditions, while continually trying to provide quality care for their patients.
They look forward to receiving less compensation, less vacation and fewer retirement benefits than their accountant, business, chemistry, computer industry, engineering and teacher classmates.
At many health-care facilities around the country, a newly hired graduate nurse will earn less compensation and less vacation than a newly graduated accountant hired by the same facility. Now compare their shifts, holidays worked and stress levels! In many areas of the country, nurses also have to obtain continuing education credits to keep their licenses. They must constantly be on full alert in assessing patient needs, implementing doctors' orders and delivering medication, and are repeatedly exposed to an array of infectious diseases, including AIDS and antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.
Teaching and nursing are the two professions occupying the news media these days that have the least support and compensation going for them. But in comparing the two, note the significant differences. Teachers are part of the "public" sector. While teacher and nurse salaries are somewhat equal, teachers receive more vacation time, a more advantageous work schedule and a phenomenal retirement benefit package.
Paradoxically, nurses, who spend their entire careers providing long, hard hours of beneficial health care to patients in all types of institutions, don't even receive health-care coverage themselves upon retirement. At 65, they are on Medicare.
Why is this paradoxical? Because nurses have traditionally been very active in assuming roles that will support patient safety and care delivery and act as patient advocates (e.g., supporting or fighting legislative issues in order not to compromise the care of the patient). But they are selfless and more passive when it comes to demanding adequate compensation for themselves, especially in consideration of the worsening conditions that they now have to deal with.
The nursing profession does offer many worthy moral and internal personal rewards. But, are these rewards worth the escalating disadvantages of the profession? The nursing shortage seems to tell that answer.
Sadly, the nursing shortage will continue to get worse until there's even a chance of compensating nurses to their full value and bringing their profession onto an equal playing field and return it once again to a favorable career choice.
Douglas L. Webb of Sandy is a certified public accountant.