PA State Nurses Association Responds to Newly Released Research on the Characteristics of RNs
The PA State Nurses Association (PA Nurses), today responded to the most resent research released by the Department of StateÂ’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs and Department of Health examining the characteristics of RNs.
Harrisburg, PA (PRWEB) May 19, 2004
“This report further provides tangible information regarding the needs of the nursing community in order to successfully and safely deal with the increasing demands of an ever-growing population,” said Michele Campbell MSN, RNC, executive administrator of the PA State Nurses Association. “Within this research, several statistics concern us the most -- 27.6 percent of RNs under the age of 35 are planning to leave nursing within the next 10 years, with 57.2 percent of those expressing dissatisfaction with their jobs. This means a large amount of nurses will be exiting, or whose dissatisfaction may lead to exiting the nursing profession in a very short timeframe. Take these numbers and combine them with the estimated 39%* increase in the elderly population, whose needs continue to increase, and this leads us to believe we are headed for a perfect storm.”
PA Nurses believes the Commonwealth has made great strides toward increasing awareness and desire among its residents to join the nursing profession. However according to the PA Legislative Budget and Finance CommitteeÂ’s April 2004 research, a large amount of individuals seeking to join the profession have been turned away from nursing programs due to lack of faculty and being over capacity.
“Examining all the most recently released research with a more comprehensive approach, begs for more multi-faceted long-term solutions – the first of which is the need for increased faculty to meet the demand within nursing programs,” Campbell continued. “Time is truly of the essence, we want to build upon the momentum that has been established in generating interest in this essential profession and provide long-term solutions that improve the quality of the profession, which will increase the job retention rate among nurses.”
The PA State Nurses Association encourages continued focus on building effective and efficient solutions for the nursing industry through a collaborative effort supported by research and action.
Changing Demographics: Implications for Physicians, Nurses, and Other Health Workers (Spring 2003) U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration
The PA State Nurses Association (PA Nurses) is a non-profit organization representing the over 200,000 practicing nurses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PA Nurses works to advance the profession of nursing through education, advocacy, practice, and legislation. PA Nurses is a constituent member of the American Nurses Association and is the official voice for nursing in Pennsylvania. www. panurses. org
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