The healthcare sector faces a pressing issue: a significant shortage of nurses. Nurses are essential to the American healthcare system, yet their numbers have not kept pace with the growth in patient demand. A new report from Incredible Health surveying 1,500 hospitals underscores just that, emphasizing the problems and avenues for practical solutions within our nation’s healthcare system.
According to the report:
- The United States is expected to have a shortage of one million nurses by 2030, jeopardizing patient care and increasing the pressure on current personnel.
- 78% of healthcare executives feel they do not have enough nursing staff to handle a major health crisis, and only 32% of them are comfortable with the present patient-to-staff ratios.
- Healthcare executives (90%) predict the nurse shortage would worsen in the near future
- Nurse burnout and workplace violence are major contributors to the nursing shortage.
- 46% of nurses leave due to burnout, while 26% leave solely due to workplace violence.
- 66% of healthcare executives reported an increase in verbal and physical attacks on nurses by patients or their relatives in the last year.
To address these problems, the Healthcare Workforce Coalition urges Congress to pass the bipartisan Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act (H.R. 2584/S. 2768), which aims to protect hospitals employees from violence and intimidation in their workplace along with the Reauthorization of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R. 7153/S. 3679), which would continue and expand grants to other hospitals and over 200,000 other types of healthcare settings so they can implement evidence-informed strategies to prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders. By addressing the major contributors to the shortage, Congress can help grow and protect a sustainable nursing workforce.
To read Incredible Health’s 2024 Healthcare Report, CLICK HERE.