Compose a 2250 words assignment on nursing shortage in florida. Needs to be plagiarism free!

Compose a 2250 words assignment on nursing shortage in florida. Needs to be plagiarism free! The age of the nursing population in Florida has also continued to rise, and about 40% of nurses in Florida are nearing their retirement age. These are the facts and figures to best describe and define the nursing shortage in Florida.

The nursing shortage in Florida is caused by various factors. One of these factors is that many nurses are leaving the profession. Many nurses have left their jobs because of low wages and unfavorable working conditions. Long hours of work are also contributing to burn-out in many of the nurses. Staff shortages are also making nurses work overtime. The number of patients has also increased throughout the years, but the number of nurses has remained unchanged. A study revealed that one of every three nurses under the age of 30 has plans to leave the nursing profession within the next few years (FHA Eye on the Healthcare Workforce, 2001).

Another cause of the nursing shortage in Florida is that fewer people are seeking careers in nursing. Enrolment in baccalaureate degrees in nursing has also declined during the past few years. The admission slots in schools have increased during the past years however, this has not been sufficient in filling in the nursing shortage. The Florida Board of Nursing has to approve first an increase in the slots to be issued to nursing students. These slots, however, are dependent on the faculty available in the nursing school, and the facilities available for the nursing curriculum. In recent years, there has been a shortage of faculty for the nursing program. Many of the faculty members in nursing schools are near their retirement age. Low salaries, not enough experience, and graduate program education requirements for faculty members are just some of the reasons why it has become very difficult to fill in the faculty shortage in nursing schools. As a result, nursing schools are unable to increase their entrants and eventually their nursing graduates.

The nursing shortage is impacting greatly on the health care of Florida. “When there is a shortage of nurses, patients suffer and health-care costs increase” (Delaney, 2006). When nurses are prompted to work for longer hours, the quality of their work is sometimes compromised. The shortage also causes them to care for more patients than they can handle. This often increases the possibility of patient neglect and errors in the administration of care.