The United States is experiencing a nursing shortage that is expected to grow through 2030. Hospitals are struggling to recruit and retain registered nurses due to the overwhelming national turnover rate for nurses ranging from 8.8% to 37%, depending on the location and nursing specialty. As the need for health care grows and care is needed for a rapidly growing older population, experts expect that the problem will only intensify.
Hospitals across the country cited staff burnout, trauma, and inequitable workforce distribution as factors fueling the nursing shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic of course has put enormous strains on our health care systems and providers. These factors have likely caused many to choose early retirement or resign from the profession altogether.
Reducing the number of patients each nurse cares for would reduce burnout and improve retention. This could be done by enforcing standards for adequate staffing levels through nurse-to-patient ratios. Currently there are no federal mandates or guidelines governing the number of patients assigned to a registered nurse in the United States. The lack of regulations or professional guidelines means that nurses are consistently required to care for more patients than they can safely and sustainably provide for, thus exposing them to a high-stress work environment. Adopting a mandatory nurse-to-patient ratio would require hospitals to adequately staff every unit and will consequently reduce the nurse turnover rate. Future emergencies and unforeseeable events, like the COVID-19 pandemic, will present challenges and create exceptions and flexibility in enforcing normal staffing ratios. Not maintaining professional guidelines will negatively contribute to the nursing work environment and patient safety.
Congress should pass the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2021 and its companion bill in the House. The legislation would amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a specific requirement for minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in hospitals. Having a recommended nurse-to-patient ratio is crucial in helping hospitals attract and retain nursing staff while improving working conditions for registered nurses. This requirement can help address the nursing shortage by improving the retention of senior staffers who will be relieved by the demands created by inadequate staffing and the ongoing pandemic. Another provision of the bill would promote the nurse workforce by creating programs for students and early career nurses and providing them with practical clinical experiences to help them adapt to a hospital setting.
Nurse staffing impacts the nursing profession and the overall health care system. Like all working Americans, nurses have the right to a work environment that is safe for themselves and their patients.
