Emergency Nurses Association Applauds Sen. John Edwards' Plan for Nursing Care 7/25/2003
From: Debra Bethard-Caplick of the Emergency Nurses Association, 847-460-4049 or 312-513-0570 (cell); 847-684-3209 (pager) e-mail: dcaplick@ena.org CHICAGO, July 25 -- Citing the strength of key elements contained in his Plan for Nursing Care, the Emergency Nurses Association today applauded Sen. John Edwards for putting nursing issues in the forefront of the current presidential campaign. ENA President Kathy Robinson, RN, congratulated Sen. Edwards for his attention to the growing nursing shortage, and his recognition of the unique contribution of America's nurses in ensuring that all Americans have access to quality health care. "Senator Edwards' plan recognizes the seriousness of the nursing shortage facing this country, and offers concrete steps to solving that crisis," said Robinson. "It is tragic that in this environment, nursing schools are forced to turn away highly qualified candidates, simply because there are too few nursing faculty to teach them. These future nurses are desperately needed to take the place of those who are retiring from the profession, and we are denying them their opportunity." Robinson further points out the precariousness of any defense against terrorism threats when the nation's emergency departments are strained to the limits. "Emergency nurses are the front line of this country's health care in the event of any mass casualty event, such as a bioterrorist attack or an event such as 9/11. We are the foundation of homeland defense, but without sufficient numbers of experienced emergency nurses available through training future nurses, we are in danger of having the entire emergency response system collapse when we need it most." Robinson pointed to several studies to underscore the seriousness of the current state of the nursing shortage crisis: -- An American Hospital Association study reports that there is an immediate need for 126,000 new nurses to fill vacant positions. American Hospital Association Special Workforce Survey June 2001. -- The average age of registered nurses (RNs) is 43.3 years. National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Nursing, http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/dn/dn.htm. -- The percentage of working of RNs in the United States under the age of 30 dropped from 25.1 percent in 1980 to 9.1 percent in 2000. National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Nursing, http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/dn/dn.htm. -- A July 2001 report released by the Government Accounting Office, Nursing Workforce: Emerging Nurse Shortages Due to Multiple Factors (GAO-01-944), states that 40 percent of all RNs will be older than age 50 by the year 2010. http://www.gao.gov. -- An October 2002 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that nurses reported greater job dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion when they were responsible for more patients than they can safely care for. -- A study published in the May/June 2001 issue of Health Affairs states that more than 40 percent of nurses working in hospitals reported being dissatisfied with their jobs, and one out of every three hospital nurses under the age of 30 are planning to leave their current job in the next year. http://www.healthaffairs.org. -- According to the report Acute Care Hospital Survey of RN Vacancies and Turnover Rates in 2000 released in January 2002 by the American Organization of Nurse Executives, staffing shortages are contributing to emergency department overcrowding (51 percent) and the need to close beds (25 percent). http://www.aone.org ------ The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) is the only professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing and emergency care through advocacy, expertise, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA serves as the voice of nearly 23,000 members and their patients through research, publications, professional development, injury prevention, and patient education. Additional information is available at ENA's Web site, at http://www.ena.org. |