Why nursing shortage key to US economy

MANILA - The nursing shortage in the United States is so critical that the Ombudsman for Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recommended the facilitation of the migration process of foreign nurses there.

A report report on the situation said the US economy, considered to be in recession, depended a lot on the operation of hospitals.

"Hospitals are one of the largest private sector employers, hiring more than five million people and stimulating economic productivity," it said.

Citing a study by the American Hospital Association, the DHS's
Ombudsman for CIS said hospitals supported one of every 10 jobs in the US and $1.9 trillion of economic activity.

And registered nurses, who held 2.5 million jobs in 2006, are employed mostly in hospitals; others are employed in public health and long-term care facilities.

A nurse recruiter told the CIS Ombudsman that every time the vacancy rate for registered nurses went up one percent, a hospital could lose as much as $300,000.

The AHA said the impact of hospitals on US health care and economy could be best described by these figures: Every year, 35 million are admitted in hospitals, 118 million admitted in emergency rooms, 4 million babies delivered, and over 481 million outpatients treated.

On the quality of patient care under normal circumstances, the threat of the nursing shortage and the subsequent heavy workload for current nurses is especially revealing.

The American Association of Colleges of Nurses (AACN) said more nurses would mean less hospital-related mortality and shorter patient stays.

In contrast, "inadequate staffing was reported to compromise patient safety," the AACN said.

"Most RNs have voiced concerns that there is not enough time 'to maintain patient safety, detect complications early, and collaborate with team members,'" it added.

Inadequate nursing staff reflected in increasing incidents of low nurse-to-patient ratios in many hospitals "are no longer safe" and are in fact a "code violation."

The current shortage also makes it difficult for health facilities to expand services or prepare for an emergency response. The CIS Ombudsman was told that beds and wings of some hospitals were closed due to the shortage.

And in times of disaster, the nursing shortage would even be more critical. Members of the Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief testified before the subcommittee on Nursing Crisis at the House of Representatives that the shortage could result in "serious national security and health concerns if there is a pandemic flu or other man-made or natural disaster and the United States does not have adequate health care resources to respond."

During a hearing at the US Congress, it was learned that the US Department of Veterans Affairs has a current vacancy of registered nurses of 10 percent (the absolute figure is not available).

"Notably, the demand for nurses will continue to grow by 2 to 3 percent each year," it said.

By 2014, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said, 1.2 million new registered nurses would be needed to meet the country's nursing requirements -- 500,000 to replace and another 700,000 to meet growing demand.

Aside from an aging US population that needs more health-care support, the CIS Ombudsman report cited the following factors for the projected increase in the nursing shortage: inadequate domestic facilities to educate and train nurses, the low number of nursing students, the existing aging workforce, and the barriers in the immigration process for foreign nurses.

The last factor is what the DHS seeks to address in its recommendation to facilitate the visa processing of foreign nurses, including Filipino nurses.

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