TAMPA, Fla. — Monday, May 6 kicks off National Nurses Week. It's an opportunity to show our thanks and appreciation for those important frontline healthcare workers, but also acknowledge the challenges facing the nursing industry right now.
According to the Florida Hospital Association, our state hospital systems continue to face critical workforce shortages. Based on a 2021 analysis, FHA said the state could be short nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035 if things continue at this rate.
In order to combat the shortage, the Florida Hospital Association is pushing for increased salaries for nurses and new policies and procedures to increase retention.
The President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Stephen Ferrara, is encouraging aspiring healthcare professionals to consider nursing by pointing to the range of opportunities it offers.
"Nurses can be found everywhere, whether that's working in hospitals, but also working in community health centers or in schools or in outpatient offices," Ferrara said. "There's remote nursing. Believe it or not, nurses can work in a remote location and have patient monitoring access for certain wearable devices."
There are some positive signs for the future of nursing. Every year, U.S. News and World Report ranks the 10 best jobs in the country based on salary, prospective growth, and a variety of other factors. This year, the number one job was a nurse practitioner.
Florida has a particularly high demand for nurses because of our aging population, and while the pandemic exacerbated the nursing shortage nationwide, it appears that Florida is rebounding quicker than other states.
Data from the Florida Hospital Association shows in 2022 hospitals were down roughly 21% of its nursing workforce, but last year, 2023, the shortage was roughly 13%.
Right now, there are more than 4 million nurses across the U.S. and odds are we all know one. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners said if a gift isn't in your budget, a simple 'thank you' goes a long way, also sharing with your community the impact a nurse has had on your life.