Nurse Staffing challenges in Maryland.

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The medical profession has been witnessing rapid growth mostly in the demand for the primary care services. Although this growth was somehow expected, it has not been accompanied by an increase in the number of doctors. This has led to the health care industry in Maryland calling upon the nurses into action.

Unfortunately, the nursing field is also facing its own shortages in staff numbers and who operate under very demanding schedules. Previous studies like the one by the University of Maryland Nursing School (Nursing research 2011 quoted in Rajaraman 2013)Bottom of Form.One of the issues that were associated with low numbers of staff was the long hour shifts. These long hours at work and reduced off job hours contributed to poor patient handling and even deaths from avoidable errors.

The cadres that have been targeted mostly to replace the physicians are the nurse practitioners who have the skills to perform the tasks of a physician. This is only a stop gap measure since as indicated above; this has a domino effect on the lower job cadres.

Currently, Maryland’s population of nurses stands at 49,600, registered nurses who are active. Of these, 3,500 are nurse practitioners which mean they hold master’s degrees and a board of nursing license. The Government of Governor Martin O’Malley has committed to increase the population of nurses by 25% by 2020 partly via improving educational access as well as address the burden the medical staff faces (Gantz 2012).

In the words of Phyllis Snyder the vice president of the council for adult learning, it is not business as usual and we have to develop a variety of new pathways. One of these ways has been the concerted effort by health advocacy groups and nursing training institutions towards increase their drives towards having more students in the college level to choose nursing as a career. The groups are also encouraging nurses who are already in practice to pursue higher qualifications (Hoffman & Kaplan, 1998).

Schools have also embarked on missions to make nursing studies more accessible and affordable through inter schools partnerships, credit earned against prior experience and offering support towards tuition. The state on its part is designing ways in which it enhances access to nursing training as well as attracts more nurses into the state’s workforce.

An earlier report from the CGME (Council for Graduate Medical education) had established that only fewer than 20% of med school grandaunts pursue primary care as careers instead going for specialties with higher pay (Goldfarb, Goldfarb & Long 2008).Under the prevailing circumstances, nurses have been more than willing to take up the challenge of filling the gap but are forced to grapple with regulation and bureaucracy issues. For example, an assistant dean at the school of nursing University of Maryland Jane Kapustin bemoans the fact that she can legally diagnose diabetes at the university of Maryland Medical Center diabetes clinic, issue a prescription for insulin and commission tests but if she were to recommend special shoes, a physician would have to sign against the order.

It is encouraging to note that nurses in collaboration with advocacy organizations are exerting pressure to have the barriers reduced and it is hoped that these efforts combined with the pressure from increased need for additional primary care providers will eventually break the barriers.

References.Gantz S (2012). Maryland Nurses Come to fore as care landscape shifts, Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/print-edition/2012/07/20/nurses-come-to-fore-as-care-landscape.html?page=all.Top of Form

Goldfarb, M., Goldfarb, R., & Long, M. (January 01, 2008). Making Sense of Competing Nursing Shortage Concepts. Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, 9, 3, 192-202.Top of Form

Hoffman, S., & Kaplan, M. (January 01, 1998). Problems encountered in the implementation of dementia care programs. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 13, 4, 197-202.

Rajaraman M (2013) Study suggests link between lengthy Nurse shifts and patient deaths. Southern Maryland online. Accessed from http://somd.com/news/headlines/2011/13155.shtml.Bottom of Form