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Article Date: 03/01/2007

Staffing Problems Worsen Across the Medical Field
Staffing problems have only just begun in the long scheme of things, but it is already causing nurses to attend to around six or more patients. The aging nurse population has three-quarters of the population over 40 years of age. Experts predict that this is only the beginning of the staffing problems. Most nurses working today are baby boomers. As boomer retirements continue to rise throughout time, the amount of available nurses could drastically drop. The elderly population needing healthcare continues to rise along with the rise with the average age of life. Once you add this to the current lack in shortages, the problem is predicted to increase. Health care in ten years could be in major trouble.

To help cope with the situation, hospitals are trying to find ways to recruit Generation X and Y into the labor market. These generations are more likely to demand a greater balance between their work and life, while the boomers have had to work their way up the ladder. Generation X college graduates are looking for more flexible time and want to spend more time with their children. Generation Y want the same and also want to move around and explore different areas. Both generations are dedicated and hard-working, but want to have a life. To deal with such issues, flex-time is becoming more popular across the medical industry. Nurses have started working a 40-hour workweek with optional overtime, but this also causes an increase in the labor shortage. In hopes of bringing more doctors and nurses in the field, hospitals have started reaching those in the K-12 school system. They give tours, talk to them, and develop mentoring programs in hopes of drawing more nurses and doctors into the field. As for now, they are unsure if this is enough to make a difference and only time can tell.

Website Address: http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/mar/01/nurse-and-physician-staffing-shortages-plague-medi/

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