In 2022, the American Hospital Association reported a projected shortage of 1.1 million nurses, meanwhile, National Nurses United said that there’s no nursing shortage but rather a lack of nurses willing to work under the current conditions. Experts suggest that both sides have valid points, according to a deep dive by STAT News. Most nurses are emphasizing the need for more staff to provide proper patient care. Yet organizations face rising labor costs as they aim to boost recruitment and retention.
New forecasts: STAT cites understaffing among hospitals but doesn’t address other care settings. The forecast might be a little sunnier for urgent care. Projections from the New England Journal of Medicine in July say that not only are there enough graduates to replace retiring nurses, by 2035, the nursing workforce will have gained 1.2 million workers.