Nurses are no longer considered the doctor's handmaid, but an important part of the medical team. Although nurses are crucial, there is an increasing shortage of nurses. The nursing shortage is causing many nursing schools to close and hospitals to not admit patients. The nursing shortage might be due to the nurses" low income, advances in technology, and continuously being sued by their patients. .
The increasing shortage of nurses might be due to nurses being sued daily. Today, nurses are practicing in a "sue-happy" society, which causes many nurses to be fired or resign due to outrageous liability insurance rates. The existing shortage of nurses is causing nurses to treat more patients at one time, which increases their chance for error and thus being sued. With so many suit-prone-patients, nurses are going into other professions that limit the possibility of being sued. .
The shortage of nurses may be due to the income received by a nurse. Nurses have never been appropriately compensated for their hard work. Many nurses are leaving the nursing profession to go into professions that offer better wages with an equal workload. The nursing shortage will continue as the students considering majoring in nursing reconsider, because they might find another profession that requires the same amount of school but with higher pay. .
Advanced technology might cause the shortage of nurses to increase. Learning new technology is a part of the nurses" continuing education; however, nurses are making more errors that cost them their job. Many older nurses might be retiring not only due to their age, but also due to their inability to grasp new technology. .
To help decrease the shortage of nurses, there needs to be many changes made by the hospitals. With the hiring of more nurses, the frequency of a nurse being sued, hopefully, will decrease. The hospitals need to recognize the workload of a nurse and compensate appropriately.
