Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Monday, May 03, 2004
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Monday, May 03, 2004 |
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Industry & Economy
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Employment Columns - Random Walk Nursing a dream job K.G. Kumar
THIS paper quoted the US Department of Health and Human Services as saying recently that an estimated 2.8 million nurses will be needed in 2020. The US is in the midst of a nursing shortage that is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for healthcare grows. Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing colleges and universities across the country are struggling to expand enrolment levels to meet the rising demand for nursing care. According to a study by Dr Peter Buerhaus and colleagues published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on June 14, 2000, the US will experience a 20 per cent shortage in the number of registered nurses (RNs) needed in the nation's healthcare system by the year 2020. This translates into a shortage of more than 400,000 RNs nationwide. The latest projections from the US Bureau of Labour Statistics published in the February 2004 Monthly Labour Review, say that more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012. For the first time, the US Department of Labour has identified Registered Nursing as the top occupation in terms of job growth through the year 2012. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the number of first-time, US-educated nursing school graduates who sat for the NCLEX-RN, the national licensure examination for registered nurses, decreased by 20 per cent during 1995-2003. A total of 19,820 fewer students in this category of test takers sat for the exam in 2003 as compared with 1995. The fastest growing segment of the US population is the elderly, the group that demands the most healthcare. More experienced nurses, mostly middle-aged women, are leaving the profession at an alarming pace. Also, working conditions in US hospitals are getting tougher. Nurses frequently have to work double shifts, and new insurance rules, under which only the sickest people are treated in hospitals these days, mean that each of the patients requires much more care and attention. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is concerned about the nursing shortage and is working with member schools, policy makers, kindred organizations, and the media to focus attention on this healthcare crisis. The implications of the crisis are fairly dramatic and immediate. When hospitals reduce RN staffing to cut costs, it may have a negative impact on the quality of patient care. In an article in the July/August issue of Nursing Economics, authors Patricia Potter and Norma Barr write that it is important for the organization to understand the patient outcomes that are sensitive to nursing interventions. In the study, researchers examined the relationship of nurse staffing to patient outcomes. It was found that the percentage of RN hours of care was positively correlated to patient's perception of health status and five of seven post-discharge patient satisfaction measures. As a hospital responds to economic constraints and market variability, it is important that a critical number of RN staff be maintained, the authors conclude. Clearly, there is a window of opportunity for nurses from India, particularly Kerala, long known for its ability to produce world-class nursing professionals. So don't be surprised by the queues for the Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) programme. And why not? A nurse in the US takes home around $3,000 (around Rs 1.33 lakh) plus a month - which is more than what many doctors in Kerala get. The writer can be contacted at kg@tug.org.in
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