Identifying a Local Healthcare Economic Issue

Examines nurse burnout as a critical local healthcare economic issue, linking staff shortages and rising workloads to decreased care quality and increased medical errors.

Alice Edwards
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Local Healthcare Economic Issue1Identifying a Local Healthcare Economic IssueElisa McGinnisCapella University: NHS-FPX6008Dr. Shannon FoggMay 20, 2025

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Local Healthcare Economic Issue2IntroductionAll around there is one thing that every healthcare facility is facing, nurse burnout.Nurses are the ones that patients will have the most face-to-face time with as they receivequality care. Yet, nurses also tend to be the ones that are often overlooked as well. There is anurse to patient ratio that requires a certain amount of nurses to be on duty at any given time.With a shortage of nurses that means that when additional tasks are needed to be done thenurses start to get overloaded and burnout follows (Werezak, 2023). When burnout happensthe amount of mistakes will increase. Burnout remains to be the leading cause of the nation'snurse shortage. This is due to them being underpaid and overworked, the ratio of patients toa nurse is increasing. This will eventually lead to them leaving the medical field. Thosenurses that are left will feel the increase of pressure will cause the nurses to remainoverworked and the amount of mistakes will continue to rise while the quality of carereceived will decrease.Contributing FactorsThe shortage of nurses has created a critical impact on not only the general populationbut also on the nurses who are currently working in the hospitals. The nurses have alreadybeen feeling exhaustion and frustration due to the population that they are providing care to.When nurses start to feel the repercussions of extended shifts, low pay, and frequent call outsthe healthcare facilities will not be able to operate at regular capacity (Carbajal & Bean,2025). The burnout has been caused by a multitude of factors such as stress, anxiety, medicalinjuries, and unidentified deaths that have in return led to a variety of mental health issues.Aside from burnout the shortage of nurses has led to financial issues and a lack ofcommitment that has caused dissatisfaction in the workplace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics'Employment Projections has anticipated an increase of RN's in the workplace by more than6% in the 6 years. They are projecting that by 2031, there should be around 3.3 million RN's,

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Local Healthcare Economic Issue3which is up from the 3.1 RN's we had in 2021 (AACN, 2023). With nurse retirement takeninto consideration alongside regular workforce exits being taken into account the Bureau hasestimated that there will be around 203,200 RN spots that will need to be filled each yearbetween now and 2031(AACN, 2023).The RationaleAt the Monroe Carell Children's Hospital @ Vanderbilt (MCJCHV) located inNashville, TN, the lack of nurses is one of the primary factors that is currently contributingto the care that is being given to children in a timely manner. During my time at MCJCHV, Ihave experienced extended wait times both in the emergency department waiting room aswell as in the patient rooms due to the lack of nurses. During my one visit we waited fornearly 4 hours in the waiting room. We witnessed multiple people leave disgruntled due tothe wait times. The following day one of my tasks was to call the left without being seens tosee if they were able to get cared for elsewhere or if they still needed some medical attention.Part of the nurse shortage was due to the decision to cut back on traveling nurses (Falcone,2024). The nurses were given first choice as to whether or not they would like to sign acontract with MCJCHV or continue travelling. Although many opted to stay in Nashville,many chose to go to the next location, so the nursing shortage was not fulfilled. The numberof registered nurses needed around the world has risen to 5.9 million, as reported by theWorld Health Organization and the State of the World's Nursing 2020 report (WHO, 2020).At MCJCHV, I was not a nurse but I did work in the case management departmentwhich meant that I helped the nurses with some of their admin work as well as ensuring thatwhen children left the hospital that they had everything they needed to be successful andhopefully not have to come back. I witnessed the nurses get burned out due to the case loadsthey were given, and their shifts being increased. Another thing that has affected the burnoutand ultimately a nurse shortage is the increase in behavioral health and mentally ill children
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