Nurse shortages observed in many health care organizations are a problem that has an impact on the development of regulations and policies in the United States. Loversidge (2015) states that the cause of the problem is the issue of aging that is related to both patients and nurses. As a result, more health services are required, but a fewer number of nurses are available to provide them.
One interesting point is that the nurse shortage is also a result of the unattractiveness of the profession for different minority groups, young persons, and males. It is necessary to discuss the problem of employee shortages in health care facilities from the perspective of the profession’s unattractiveness to propose initiatives and address the problem.
The discussed reading is important to add to the understanding of shortage effects on regulations in the field. One of the most challenging points mentioned in the reading is the discussion of the possibility to recruit unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) (Loversidge, 2015). It is rather difficult to agree that the reference to the services of the UAP can lead to addressing the problem of nursing shortages. Instead, it is possible to expect decreases in the quality of the provided care and increases in the pressure on nurses who need to supervise the UAP.
The discussion of the legislation to regulate working hours of nurses and the nurse-to-patient ratio seems to be reasonable because these issues are most debatable in the sphere of nursing with the focus on the problem of shortages. It is possible to agree that shortages have significant negative impacts on nurses because their fatigue increases, there are many cases of burnout, and the overall quality of the provided services can decrease (DeNisco & Barker, 2015).
Nursing shortages have negative effects on the practice of advanced nurses who need to work with more patients while proposing high-quality services. Still, Loversidge (2015) provides the logical conclusion that even if regulations regarding the nurse-to-patient ratios are promoted, employers will find ways to minimize their costs.
The author’s ideas regarding the role of nursing programs in reducing shortages seem to be rather predictable, but more attention should be paid to the discussion of possibilities to recruit more foreign-educated specialists. It is possible to agree that, currently, there are many limitations for foreign nurses to be licensed and hired to work in the U.S. facilities (DeNisco & Barker, 2015). Still, any changes in the regulations regarding licensure and accreditation procedures can result in both positive and negative effects on the recruitment of foreign- and U.S.-educated nursing specialists.
The reading provides interesting details regarding the connection between nursing shortages and responses related to the field of legislation. It is possible to agree with the author’s discussion of the issue. Moreover, some details provoke more thinking over the legislation and regulatory standards in the field. As a result, it is possible to enhance the understanding of the issue of nurse shortages and their impact on nurses’ activities.
References
DeNisco, S. M., & Barker, A. M. (2015). Advanced practice nursing. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Loversidge, J. M. (2015). Government regulation: Parallel and powerful. In S. M. DeNisco & A. M. Barker (Eds.), Advanced practice nursing (pp. 231-260). New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.