The supply of nurses is dwindling just as the need for higher skilled nurses is growing. Wolters Kluwer and UKG conducted this Nursing Workforce Survey to assess current and future states of nursing labor models and how those models might shift over time. Results point to a wide disconnect between the challenges healthcare facilities are experiencing and the plans they have in place — or that they plan to put in place in the future — to respond to workforce challenges.
Nursing care delivery has to be efficient and effective. But changing the paradigm requires novel innovation, which starts with taking a collaborative approach to changing care models that are no longer sustainable, collaboration between clinical care settings and nursing schools, collaboration with state regulatory agencies that set scopes of practice, and collaboration across the management team.
As we think about a paradigm shift, we must also rethink everything — from how much nurses get paid to their responsibilities and compensation, to the ideal number of nurses and support staff caring for patients. Alternative care models are essential to the delivery of safe patient care, and the partnerships between nursing education and practice settings is one solution for addressing the supply issue.