Issue: Workforce

Overview:
New Jersey is just one of the many states that have been affected by the shortage of nurses. In more demand now than ever, nurses are needed to take care of the increasing population of elderly partly due to the baby boom of the 1940s.

Some of the reasons for the shortage in the nursing field consist of the following:
• Aging of the nursing workforce
• Fewer people entering the nursing profession
• Increased demand for nurses in different health care settings
• Research and data limitations (Varying licensure categories and authority in every state)
• Current nursing work environments (The U.S. health care industry has failed to maintain a work environment that is conducive to safe, quality nursing practice that retains experiences U.S. nurses within patient care.)

NJCTH Action:
The Council continues to follow legislation on the state and federal levels that try to correct the nursing workforce shortage.

For more information:
Forums Institute for Public Policy Report: The Nursing Workforce Shortage: Impacts on Health and Medical Care in New Jersey

NJN's (New Jersey Public Television & Radio)Workforce Development Website

HFMA (Healthcare Financial Management Association):
Investing in Your Workforce: Overcoming the Financial Impact of Labor Shortages