“The nursing shortage is not primarily a pipeline problem,” Patricia Pittman, PhD, professor of health workforce equity at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at Washington, D.C.-based George Washington University, told Dr. Wen. “What we have is a leaky bucket.”
Some key initiatives for nurse retention are: increased wages, improved working conditions and reduced barriers for reentry into the workforce for those who have left.
“Importantly, hospitals need to take a hard look at their own staffing models so that the nursing staff do not always feel overwhelmed and overworked,” Dr. Wen wrote.
