New Jersey is facing a growing shortage of nurses, with a 25% shortage compared to the number needed in 2036.
According to a report by the Record on the 29th, citing the Department of Health and Human Services, the number of nurses needed in New Jersey in 2036 is estimated at 98,850, but the number of nurses working in medical facilities is expected to be only around 74,400.
It is estimated that there will be a shortage of about 25% (24,450 people) of nursing staff compared to the required number. The explanation is that although nursing staff is needed more due to the expansion of the elderly population, the number of nurses leaving medical facilities is increasing.
This concern is based on the analysis that the elderly population that must rely on medical facilities is expected to increase significantly, such as the population of people over 60 years old in New Jersey increasing to 3 million in the next 10 years, but many nurses are leaving the field and there is a shortage of new staff.
According to a 2022 survey conducted by New Jersey’s largest nurses’ union, nearly a third of nurses left their hospital beds during the three years since the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, according to the survey results, about 70% of the remaining nursing staff expressed their intention to retire due to poor working conditions and stress.
Frontline universities are planning to increase the number of nursing graduates, but they are expressing the problem that it is not realistically easy to admit more students due to the lack of faculty to teach students and clinical facilities for practical training. Also, the nursing shortage problem is bigger in nursing homes than in general hospitals.
Certified nursing assistants working in nursing homes are increasingly avoiding the job due to their low wages and excessive workload.