Ask a Nurse about Nurse Staffing

	Just Ask a Nurse
	"This month we're taking a look at a recent study about staffing levels in American hospitals. What really sparked my interest was that this study was directed specifically at nurses, who after all, are most affected by staffing shortages. What's clear to me, is that there is much need for improvement, and the healthcare staffing industry, has an opportunity to help hospitals work towards more positive outcomes through improvements in staffing levels and overall working conditions for its healthcare workers."
	A recent study conducted by the American Nurses Association, came to the conclusion that nurses are NOT happy with the "less is more" staffing strategy employed by many hospitals and clinics across the US today. The ANA recently polled 15,000 nurses about their workplaces and 49.5 percent said that "they would not feel confident about having someone they care about get treatment at their hospital or clinic." It may not come as a surprise that the main reason cited for this lack of confidence was inadequate staffing levels. About 72 percent of those surveyed said that their employers do not have sufficient staff in place to ensure positive patient outcomes. As if that were not bad enough, more than half of all nurses who participated in the study agreed that the situation is bad and getting worse; stating that the quality of care has decreased over the last 12-month period as a direct result of insufficient staffing levels. Think things can't get any worse? Consider this; a whopping 53 percent of all respondents said that the staffing situation is so bad that they are considering leaving their jobs unless things drastically improve. So what's being done about it? Currently, there are three new bills in Congress that are designed to address the nursing shortage, but no one ever said that things on "The Hill" were ever predictable. There is no way of telling whether a particular piece of legislation will be passed or not. A case in point is the Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act which was introduced last year but failed to pass before the close of the year, leaving it effectively "dead in the water". However, "dead" does not always mean "dead for good". The Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act appears to have been imbued with new life when it was re-introduced to congress in May of this year, where it is now very much alive. You just never know which way the legislative wind will blow. While congress debates and nurses become increasingly dissatisfied, we see that the health care staffing industry has a unique opportunity to help effect real, positive change. In fact, it has been shown that hospitals can actually increase employee satisfaction, improve outcomes for patients, AND reduce costs by utilizing temporary staff. Now, especially with new health care reforms looming, there has never been more fertile ground for health care staffing agencies to till. Moreover, as the economy steadily improves, the prospects will only brighten for those who are prepared to step up to the plate and provide quality temporary staff to help meet the ever increasing needs of US hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes nation-wide.