UNITED STATES – The healthcare industry is facing a significant nursing shortage, compounded by an ongoing blood shortage. Experts attribute the crisis to a supply and demand issue, with a surge in retiring baby boomers requiring more care.
The shortage is intensified as more nurses are leaving the profession. “Due to the high workload and the burnout, many nurses choose to quit,” said Pengyi Shi. This situation leads to increased mistakes as nurses manage too many patients. “Nurses are human beings. They tend to make more mistakes when they’re taking care of too many patients,” Shi added.
Despite steady enrollment at nursing schools, the number of new nurses is not keeping pace with the growing needs of aging Americans. Analysts predict that this shortage will persist over the next decade.
