It is estimated that by the year 2020 there will be a shortage of over 1 million nurses in the United States. This could be because of the aging workforce and the lack of recruitment of young people to go into nursing fields. As a result, patients have lost confidence in the healthcare system. There has been an increase in the number of critical care patients, as they are not getting the amount and quality of care that is needed. Nurses are being given a higher workload, demanded to work more shifts and given mandatory overtime, thus resulting in nurses being very dissatisfied and not recommending the younger generations to enter the field.

In 2002, Congress stepped in and passed the Nurse Reinvestment Act. This is a budget that is renewed annually and helps in the aid of nurse recruitment, scholarships, training, grants, loan repayment, as well as helping with nurse advancement in their field. Many hospitals believe that it is not recruitment that is needed, but the retention of their current workforce. Offering incentives such as longer vacations and higher salaries is a short-term solution, but it is believed that as many of the workforce is aging this will not take care of the problem.

With such a high demand, one would think it would be easy to become a nurse. It might not be as easy as it looks. The most important thing is to start off with a plan. Finding a good school is important, and coming up with an appropriate timeline for finishing is one way to get started. The school should be accredited with the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission or the (NLNAC). Professional help in choosing the correct career path is recommended because not all schools and programs are the same. It is important to remember that new diseases and new symptoms arise everyday and there will always be opportunities to learn and grow within the field.

Nursing isn't just confined to a hospital either. There are hundreds of different specialties including, and not limited to:

-home care

-community and public health agencies

-independent practice

-ambulatory care centers

-US Public Health Service

-military services (Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines): Veteran's Administration Medical Centers, extended care centers, clinics, offices, schools, corporations -health-related industries

Since there will always be sick and diseased people in the world, job security is pretty tight. Why not take the first step and start the journey now!