Nursing Shortage: Impending Doom or Challenging Opportunity?

A nursing shortage currently exists and is expected to worsen. This shortage is different from shortages of the past with no easy solutions. The reasons for the shortage are multifaceted and require short-term and long-term answers. The aging of the RN workforce, a decrease in the number of persons entering nursing, managed care, and increasing acuity of patients in the hospital setting have contributed to this situation. Perianesthesia nurses can expect to feel the impact of the shortage quickly because this shortage is affecting specialty areas such as PACU, the OR, and ICU in particular. We need to become proactive in the search for solutions and view this time as a challenging opportunity.