Nurses can combat the nursing shortage by:
a. joining unions, which influence employers to provide incentives such as pay raises and free child care, thus encouraging the large percentage of nonworking nurses to return to the workforce.
b. demanding that the requirements of the qualifying examination for foreign nurses should be reduced, so they are eligible to sit for the licensure examination.
c. working more hours with a higher nurse/patient ratio.
d. advocating for funds to pay for nursing education and a safer work environment.
ANS: D
Correct: Advocating for funds to pay for nursing education and a safer work environment is a positive strategy, as can be seen by results attained after the Reinvestment Act P.L. 107-205 provided $20 million for nursing scholarships, public service announcements, faculty loan cancellation programs, geriatric training grants, and nurse retention and safety enhancement grants. This is the best defense against the nursing shortage. Nursing graduates in many states have increased in number, and enrollment in nursing schools is also on the rise.
Incorrect:
a. Unions are not the answer to the nursing shortage. This approach would make access to health care more difficult, and the nursing shortage would only increase because efforts to attract nurses from younger generations would be reduced by the fact that funding for exposure to nursing would most likely decrease.
b. Lowering standards would increase the chance for errors, cause patient care standards to become lower, and harm the image of nursing.
c. As the acuity level of patients increases, the nurse/patient ratio should be lowered. Facts reveal that lower nurse/patient ratios reduce errors and decrease mortality rates.
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