Introduction to Article:  In this essay, we cover the topic of the current nursing shortage.  We define what a nursing shortage is and delve into the reasons why there is a nursing shortage.  The essay describes the causes of the nursing shortage, as well as the effects of that nursing shortage, on the nursing profession and on healthcare in the United States.  After looking at some of the nursing shortage statistics, the essay will examine different ideas about what can be done to prevent future nursing shortages.  In addition to looking specifically at the nursing shortage issue, the essay will provide an example of how to write an academic essay.  It includes all of the components of a traditional academic essay: introduction, hook, thesis statement, a body with evidence and analysis of that evidence, a conclusion, and a reference section.  Any sources used in the essay are properly referenced in an academic format.  Therefore, this essay can be used as a template for a nursing shortage or any other type of academic essay.  

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The High Price of Health Care- Health care costs in the United States are astronomical when compared to costs for comparable healthcare around the world.  This essay would explore why healthcare costs in the U.S. are so high, what can be done to reduce costs, and whether patient care is negatively impacted by the cost of healthcare.  The essay would also include an examination of the role that other providers, including nurses, could play in an overhaul of the healthcare system.  

Preparing for Higher Education- In this essay, we examine whether modern students are being prepared for higher education.  Have standards in K-12 education led to students being unprepared for higher education?  Are students being steered towards careers that are inaccessible for many people?  Are students being discouraged from pursuing viable career opportunities, such as nursing?   

Wages in the United States- Wages in the United States have largely stagnated for the middle class.  While the cost of living has risen significantly, wages have not kept up.  Are there professions where wages have kept up with the cost-of-living?  Are there professions that are more recession-proof than other positions?  This essay should include an exploration of professions in the U.S. that can support a middle-class lifestyle.

Titles:

2019 Nursing Shortage

Not Enough Nurses

How the Nursing Shortage Impacts Patient Care

Why Is There a Nursing Shortage?    

Outline:

I. Introduction

II. Body

A. What is a nursing shortage? 

B. Why is there a nursing shortage? 

C. Causes of the nursing shortage

D. Effects of the nursing shortage

E. Nursing shortage statistics

F. What can be done to prevent a nursing shortage? 

III. Conclusion 

Introduction: 

There is a nursing shortage in the United States.  A nursing shortage means that there are not enough nurses to fill available nursing positions.  The nursing shortage is the result of a number of different factors, some that are within the control of the nursing profession, but others that are caused by factors outside of the profession.  The nursing shortage has led to a number of different impacts on the medical profession, from a negative impact on patient care to a positive impact on nursing salaries in the highest-demand areas.  Understanding the current and projected future impact of the nursing shortage requires examining the nursing shortage statistics.  Once those are understood, it may be easier to help understand what can be done to prevent nursing shortages in the future.   

Essay Hook:

With an aging population, the demand for nurses is only going to increase and failure to solve the nursing shortage is going to inevitably lead to an overall decline in patient care.     

Thesis Statement: 

Solving the nursing shortage is going to require a multi-faceted approach, which addresses all of the causes of the nursing shortage without compromising the professional...

Some medical professionals are para-professionals or assistants, and do not have the same background, experience, or education as nurses.  Further complicating the issue is the idea that, in the United States, nurses can also be licensed practical nurses (LPN), licensed vocational nurses (LVN), registered nurses (RN), advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), and nurse practitioners.  The differences in these positions reflect differences in educational requirements.  LPN and LVN nurses require a technical degree with specialized education in healthcare, but have limited abilities in terms of diagnosis and treatment of patients.  RNs have bachelor or associate degrees in nursing and have a greater ability to diagnose and treat patients.  LPN and LVN nurses have masters’ degrees and specialized skills that let them provide services beyond traditional nursing (LeBoeuf, 2018).  In this essay, the term nursing storage specifically refers to a shortage of RNs, though many of the same factors would also impact other components of the nursing profession.
Why is There a Nursing Shortage?

Trying to describe why there is a nursing shortage can be difficult, because there is not a single root cause for the problem.  Instead, a variety of different factors have combined to create the nursing shortage.  One cause of the nursing shortage is that nursing school enrollment is not growing enough to meet the projected demand for nurses (Rosseter, 2018).  However, it is not simply a matter of letting more students into nursing programs; because of the nursing shortage, there are not enough qualified instructors to teach in the nursing programs, which limits the number of people who can enroll in programs.  In addition to limits imposed by smaller faculties, there are other limits related to nursing schools, such as the amount of classroom space, the availability of clinical sites, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints.  Therefore, even though there is a projected shortfall for nurses, current nursing programs are not sufficient to remedy that problem.   

Causes of the Nursing Shortage

 Although the nursing shortage might be directly related to a problem in the number of qualified applicants that can actually get into nursing programs, there are a number of other factors that contribute to the nursing shortage.  The aging population of baby boomers means that there is a projected increase in demand for nursing services.  The current workforce of nurses is skewed older than many professions, which means that many nurses may be retiring, which will contribute to the shortage. The current shortage is exacerbating the problem; without enough nurses to fill jobs, nurses in jobs are expected to take on more duties, which increases stress and decreases job satisfaction.  As a result, some nurses are leaving the profession.  All of these factors have exacerbated the existing nursing shortage.

Effects of the Nursing Shortage

The nursing shortage has a number of different impacts, not only on the quality of healthcare that people can access, but also the demographics and dynamics of the nursing profession, itself.  First, it is important to recognize that the nursing shortage is a self-perpetuating problem.  Because the shortage decreases job satisfaction for nurses and results in people leaving the profession, it can actually increase stress on current nurses, resulting in more people leaving the profession.  The shortage of nurses also leads to a shortage of nurse educators, which makes it even more difficult to train more nurses.  One potential positive impact…