A World Without Nurses – International Nurses’ Day
Published on the 10 May 2018
A World Without Nurses…
What would it mean?
There are over 7.5 billion people in the world but only 19.3 million nurses.
Why should you care?
Fewer Nurses Means:
- Your life could be shorter
- You have a higher chance of getting a serious infection
- You may experience more complications from surgery or hospitalisation
Fewer nurses could mean life or death for acute care patients.
Nurses can help you live longer, healthier and even happier lives.
What’s their secret?
- Nurses care for people, not conditions
- They evaluate the whole person
- They educate people
- Nurses make prevention a priority
While technology and research advances so too does the knowledge and intelligence of our nurses – from tertiary study and clinical placement to continuing professional development.
Why? Because education improves care.
- Seminars
- Study days
- Textbooks
- Online learning
- Conferences
Nurses are Also Getting Older:
- More than half of nurses are over 50
- 20% of nurses will reach the age of retirement in the next 5 years
Many nations share a common problem:
A Critical Shortage of Nurses.
- The United States alone could need 1.2 million more nurses by 2020.
- Australian stastics estimate 90,000 will retire by 2020.
- In the United Kingdom, around 1 in 3 nurses are expected to retire within the next 10 years.
In a world without nurses, who will care for your loved ones? Who will manage people with chronic illness? Who will look after you? Why should you care? You should care.
References
*Statistics correct as of date of creation
- Grant, R 2016, ‘The U.S. is Running Out of Nurses’, in The Atlantic, 3 February, viewed 11 May 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/02/nursing-shortage/459741/
- Health Workforce Australia 2014, Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Nurses Detailed Report August 2014, Australian Government, Canberra, ACT, viewed 11 May 2017, http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/34AA7E6FDB8C16AACA257D9500112F25/$File/AFHW%20-%20Nurses%20detailed%20report.pdf
- Learning Nurse Resources Network 2017, Global Nursing Numbers, Learning Nurse, viewed 11 May 2017, https://www.learningnurse.org/index.php/library/nurse-numbers
- Marangozov, R 2016, ‘A third of nurses due to retire in the next 10 years. Who is going to plug the gap?’, in Institute for Employment Studies News, 8 July, viewed 11 May 2017, http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/news/third-nurses-due-retire-next-10-years-who-going-plug-gap
- World Health Organisation 2009, World Health Statistics 2013, WHO, http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/81965/1/9789241564588_eng.pdf?ua=1
Author
Ausmed’s Editorial team is committed to providing high-quality and thoroughly researched content to our readers, free of any commercial bias or conflict of interest. All articles are developed in consultation with healthcare professionals and peer reviewed where necessary, undergoing a yearly review to ensure all healthcare information is kept up to date.
