The US is currently facing a shortage of nurses, and experts predict the trend will worsen soon. Washington is no exception, and recent research forecasts that the state will have a deficit of 7,000 nurses by 2025.

But what is ailing the profession that has long been such a healthy occupation?

The nursing profession is unique because the demand for health services is always present, and careers in the medical field have long proved to be lucrative. The deficit will adversely affect the healthcare sector as aging nurses retire and are not replaced by newcomers. The available nurses may have to bear the strain of a regular workload with fewer workers. For example, a study done at Oxford University shows that when the patient-to-nurse ratio increases by just one, job dissatisfaction rise by as much as 15 percent, and feelings of burnout increase by 23 percent. 

Some believe that the shortage problem starts in the classroom. Most nursing graduates opt to practice as service providers, with very few remaining to work as teachers at the facilities. Salary discrepancies between providers and faculty teachers are responsible for the seismic transition of nurses as providers. Washington lawmakers should enact policies to provide an income tax credit to nurses serving in rural areas. To that end, rural nurses will be incentivized for the difficulties experienced in remote areas, and more nurses will be willing to work in those places.

Contrastingly, many argue that nurses are already some of the higher-paid professionals with degrees. Any financial government incentives to encourage nursing students would come from the taxes of people who likely do not make as much money as nurses. Some believe nurses would be better retained by better hours, benefits, and treatment from hospitals and facilities. The nursing trade may be better served by unionizing than by government assistance. 

Should Washington better support aspiring nurses to prevent a nurse shortage crisis by 2025?