FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2001
CONTACT:
Cindy Price, 202-651-7038
Joan Meehan-Hurwitz, 202-651-7020
rn=realnews@ana.org
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Nurses Renew Push For Passage Of Nursing Shortage Legislation
Washington, DC -- Nurses across the nation are mobilizing for a final, massive grassroots effort to convince members of Congress to pass nursing shortage legislation before adjourning for the year next week.
"This legislation, which is aimed at recruiting and retaining more nurses into the nursing workforce, needs to be enacted now, not later – for the sake of patients and for the good of the nation," said ANA President Mary E. Foley, MS, RN. "Without passage of these bills, America will soon find itself facing a nursing shortage of critical proportions."
The current nurse staffing crisis and emerging shortage of RNs pose a real threat to the nation's health care system, particularly in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Employers already are having difficulty hiring experienced nurses -- especially in emergency departments, critical care, labor and delivery, and long term care. In addition, the potential impact of the war on terrorism on nurse staff vacancies combined with efforts to enhance response capacity for biological and chemical warfare will place even greater strains on America's nurses, the largest health care workforce in the nation.
The Nurse Reinvestment Act (S. 1597, H.R. 1436) and the Nursing Employment and Education Development Act (S. 721) would authorize federal funding for scholarships and loan repayments for nursing students who agree to work in shortage areas after they graduate. In addition, both bills would include funding for nursing faculty and curriculum development, career ladder programs and public service announcements aimed a promoting nursing as a career.
ANA believes this legislation is a crucial component in addressing the emerging nursing shortage. Current projections show that the number of RNs per capita will fall 20 percent below requirements by the year 2020 – in part because young people are not entering the nursing profession in the numbers they once were. In addition, an increasing number of nurses are leaving the profession as a result of serious problems in the workplace, including the use of mandatory overtime. And, the bulk of America's nurses will soon be retiring –just as the aging baby-boom population begins placing greater demands on the nation's health care system.
"The funding for education provided by these bills will help boost nursing school enrollments and will encourage existing nurses to go back to school to increase their levels of education," Foley pointed out. "Coupled with needed improvements in the workplace, these bills will, in the end, contribute to better patient outcomes and a stronger nursing profession."
Press reports on the dramatic increases in emergency department diversions, cancellation of elective surgeries, and the threats posed by recent acts of bioterrorism have fueled public concern over the nursing shortage. At the same time, recent reports indicate a renewal of public appreciation and respect for nurses and other medical workers.
According to Foley, the outpouring of caring, concern and commitment by nurses and other health care professionals following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has had a tremendous impact on the nation's perception of nurses and nursing. And she is optimistic that this public support for nurses will be matched by congressional efforts to bolster the profession. "It is my hope that, in the long run, Congress will act not only to help attract more nurses to the profession, but also to open up a greater public dialogue regarding establishing better working conditions for nurses – so we can retain the nurses we recruit."
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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.7 million Registered Nurses through its constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
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