Nursing Shortage Crisis-- Two Ways Every Person Can Help

Nursing Shortage Crisis-- Two Ways Every Person Can Help

Fort Collins, Colorado – April 29, 2006 -- National Nurse’s Week is May 6-12 and once again shortage issues will make the headlines. “Everyone should take an interest in helping to improve the nursing shortage because it will affect us all,” says LeAnn Thieman, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul. “We should be concerned for our welfare and our family's. Our nation is short 126,000 nurses today and by 2015 that number is expected to reach 500,000.” Thieman believes everyone can help ease the shortage by doing two simple things:

1.Thank a nurse today. “Nurse’s give a lot,” Thieman says. “With cutbacks in healthcare today, nurses are expected to do more with less. They’re tired, over worked and overwhelmed. They need to feel appreciated. A kind word or gesture may keep a nurse from quitting.”

2.Encourage young and old, men and women to enter or recommit to the healthcare profession. “If someone wants to make a difference in the world, then nursing is the best career to do so. It’s exciting, rewarding and offers lots of flexibility and opportunities,” says Thieman. It’s not just a career for young women anymore. “We need to steer our youth to investigate employment options in healthcare and encourage others of all ages to join in,” claims Thieman, a nurse for over 30 years. While wages have increased greatly in recent years, it isn’t just about the money, skill or technology, Thieman says. “It’s about the heart, the compassion, the call to service that sets a nurse apart.”

So, thank the ‘old’ nurses and encourage the ‘new.’ You just might keep a tired soul from quitting and ensure there will be enough nurses to care for you and your family when you need one!

Original source at http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/default.cfm?Action=ReleaseDetail&ID=12470