Top 6 Hurdles that Every Nurse Faces in Their Career
The nursing profession is respected, however, not rewarded as much as it deserves.
A nurse faces uncountable issues in the span of their careers. And one cannot
argue that nurses put more hard work than anyone else in the healthcare field.
However,
what they get in return for the endless caregiving duties they perform are
more hurdles than relief. In this article today, we will discuss the six issues nurses face during their career span.
Six Hurdles Nurses Face in their Career
1. Workforce Shortage
The shortage of nurses in the US has always been a problem. And this problem has begun to
increase as the baby boomers reach the retirement age. As we all know, the
majority of the nursing staff consists of baby boomers; we can anticipate how
big of an issue this shortage will become.
While
the supply of the nurse staff has been short, the demand has been increasing
manifolds. The reason for this increasing demand is due to the growth of the
healthcare industry and retirement, as mentioned before. It has been estimated
that more than a million nurses would be required to satisfy this need.
2. Long Shifts
Due to a
shortage of staff, another issue arises. Nurses are required to compensate for
the lack of staffing by working through mandatory overtime shifts. Burdening
the nurses with long hours of work can be detrimental to their own health while
it puts the patients at risk of human errors due to long tiresome shifts.
This is
one of the issues nurses faces due to lesser people opting for the nursing
profession. Although the nurses put in extra hours, they may still feel that
the care they provided to the patients was not efficient enough. Such thoughts
can put nurses in an ethical dilemma. It can further cause nurses to lose
motivation for their jobs.
3. Toxicity at Workplace
Even
though the nursing profession is respected worldwide, they sadly face a lot of
toxicity at their workplaces. Some reports from authentic sources also suggest
that nurses face violence by the patients. They go to the extent of beating,
kicking, and bullying them.
Nurses
face these problems in their daily lives at the workplace, while many of these
cases stay unreported. The government needs to acknowledge this grave issue and
do something about it. If the ones serving the sick aren't safe, who else is?
And with such circumstances at hand, potential nurses also lose their interest
in the field.
4. Pay Gaps
The
issue of pay gaps is worldwide and can be witnessed across all the industries.
The male nurses are usually paid higher than their female counterparts. That
causes another wave of demotivation among the female nurses who put their
hearts and souls into their jobs.
A survey
showed that male nurses earned more than their female counterparts. It also
highlighted that the pay gap occurred whether the nurses were paid hourly rates
or a fixed salary. According to that survey, the average difference in pay was
worth $4000 annually.
5. Dangers at the Workplace
Nurses
are not only exposed to violence at work but also numerous hazards. The threat
of viruses, flu, cold, and various other germs is always there. Recently, as
the pandemic has taken over the world, nurses and other healthcare staff are
exposed to the virus the most.
They
have to work even without the proper safety equipment, which is putting their
lives at risk.
6. Adjustment Issues for New Nurses
It has
been observed that older nurses are not entirely welcoming. Therefore the new
nurses who join the workplace face a difficult time adjusting. Such behaviors
put nurses in an uncomfortable situation.
Imagine
the nervousness you may experience if you do not feel supported at your new
workplace. You would be afraid of making any mistake, and won't know whom to
ask for guidance from.
The
senior nurses need to be more encouraging and welcoming. That is only how they
can create a better for the new nurses and eventually themselves.
Conclusion
Nurses
face many issues during their careers. Most of these problems are rooted in the
shortage of staff. And therefore, it is a great need of the time that more people
opt for online nurse studies and enter the workforce.
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