Professional Issues In Nursing Paper

There are several issues in professional nursing today. This research paper will outline three issues that nurses and healthcare professionals are faced with within the profession. The topics and issues that will be explored throughout this research paper will include nursing shortages, mandatory overtime, and diversity in nursing. Also discussed will be the contributing factors to each issue. The root of most of these issues is seen in the number of people that apply for nursing schools and the number of people that are successful through nursing school. The solutions to these major issues will be discussed throughout the research paper.

In every profession, there are issues that staff members must navigate around. In nursing

When dissected, minority groups such as Hispanics are missing from the nursing workforce. “Although the Hispanic population (at 44.3 million) is the nation's largest minority group, it is suggested that Hispanics are the “missing persons” in the health professions, representing only 2% of the nursing workforce” (Huston, 2010). The lack of minorities seen in the nursing workforce begins with the lack of minorities in nursing programs. According to The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2011), the discrepancy is seen when it comes to education. Most minorities are enrolled in associate level nursing programs, and the amount enrolled decreases when it comes to furthering education. For example, 21.8 percent African Americans were enrolled in an associate degree program in 2008-2009 compared to 14.0 percent enrolled in a bachelors nursing program. This leads to less baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the workforce. As a solution, common barriers faced by minority students in nursing schools such as inferior academic preparation, financial problems, and inadequate social support must first be addressed to help minorities succeed in nursing school. Improving education and financing education for minorities can aid in ensuring diversity in the nursing workforce in the

A common stereotype is that nursing is a female profession. “Although men have worked as nurses for centuries, just 5.8% of the nation’s 2.9 million nurses are men” (Huston 2010). Even today, in the media, books, and even in the workforce, nurses are always assumed as “she”. This may be due to the fact that in history, women were always given caretaker roles, while men were known as breadwinners. Women were always seen as more caring gender, and care is what nurses provide. Although times have changed, and gender equality is more prevalent, this stereotype is still seen within the nursing