Certain voices in the nursing community are trying to make the argument that there is no nursing shortage and we need to keep protectionist policies in place. But there has been a great deal compelling evidence pointing in only one direction for many years – a nurse shortage that is already bad and will grow much worse in decades to come. Here’s an article from CNN/Money that is certainly scary.
And 30 million more patients are about to gain access to health care under the reform bill on the verge of passage in Congress. If we don’t have enough nurses to treat today’s patients, how will we deal with an expansion of such a large magnitude.
It’s time to face the music and admit that we need foreign nurses to at least help us fill the gaps while we make serious investments in the nurse education infrastructure so we can eventually have enough American-born nurses.