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Impact of Staff Shortages on the US Healthcare Administration and the Health of the
US Population
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Impact of Staff Shortages on the US Healthcare Administration and the Health of the
US Population
Staffing shortages continue to plague the US healthcare system. Documented research
attributes the shortages to high turnover rates, inequitable distribution of the workforce, and
lack of potential educators. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has previously projected that
the healthcare field needed over 275,000 nurses from 2020 to 2030, and the concurrence from
the American Nurses Association confirms that the staff shortage is a critical issue (NSIN,
2024). The staffing shortage reduces efficiency and increases the costs of healthcare
administration, as well as exposes the US population to risks to their health.
Staff shortages are not entirely attributed to healthcare organizational issues. According
to Land (2024), the shortage of qualified healthcare professionals drives this public health
crisis. In particular, the shortage is acute in nursing and primary care, and this affects
healthcare administrations as the management must find ways of recruiting and retaining
qualified staff while managing the available staff. As they pursue a skilled staff, the available
staff is at risk of burnout. The scarcity of staff means that the available staff will take on extra
duties and work overtime due to a disrupted shift, which again drives high turnover rates in
the profession (Haddad, Annamaraju & Toney-Buttler, 2023). Within this interplay of
staffing issues, the organization suffers from reduced efficiency, which might ultimately
impact the quality of healthcare services to the patients.
Staffing shortages increase the costs of healthcare administration in healthcare
organizations. The high turnover rates in organizations result in diminishing hospital margins.
On average, a hospital loses between $3.9 – $5.8 m for losing a bedside registered nurse. One
registered nurse who leaves work costs the organization $56,300. Travel nurses receive $102
hourly, whereas a registered nurse only receives $53.61 hourly (NSIN Solutions, 2024). The
costs are high since the hospital must contend with temporary healthcare professionals,
overtime, salary, and agency fees. Experts suggest that an organization will save 2 million
dollars through recruiting and retaining nurses (NSIN Solutions, 2024). The recruiting and
retention strategy of most healthcare organizations failed to achieve the intended results. As
the staffing shortage escalates, healthcare administrators must adopt evidence-based
strategies to recruit and retain their staff to reduce these costs.
With a compromised workflow, the available workers experience an increased
workload that exposes them to burnout, which influences the health of the US population. A
reduced staff means the ratios increase to meet the organizational needs. As such, the staff
shortage increased medical errors and high morbidity and mortality rates among patients
(Haddad, Annamaraju & Toney-Buttler, 2023). Part of the reason for the staffing shortage
was unqualified professionals. As healthcare organizations turn to travel nurses to meet their
needs, they sometimes hire unqualified professionals lacking in skill, which limits the quality
of care (Land, 2024). The lack of adequate staffing means hospitals cannot guarantee to
protect patient rights. The staffing issue is serious, and without working mechanisms,
healthcare organizations expose themselves to inefficiency and risk the lives of their patients.
The projection by the US Bureau of Statistics concerning the shortage of healthcare
professionals paints a negative picture of the future of US healthcare. With professional
organizations such as the American Nursing Association reiterating the Bureau’s concerns,
healthcare organizations must come up with innovative and creative ways to recruit and
retain a highly qualified workforce. Otherwise, healthcare organizations will continue
experiencing inefficiency, increased costs, and risks to the lives of the patients.
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References
Haddad, L. M., Annamaraju, P., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2023). Nursing shortage. Treasure
Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493175/
Land, C. (2024). Key Challenges Facing Healthcare Administrators. St. Louis College of
Health Careers. https://slchc.edu/uncategorized/blogs/key-challenges-facing-healthcare-
administrators/
NSIN. (2024). 2024 NSI National Health Care Retention. & RN Staffing Report.
https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/documents/library/nsi_national_health_care_rete
ntion_report.pdf#page=2.07
