Tampa Bay Business Journal, September 6, 2024
By Cam Felismino, Contributing Writer
The nursing profession is at a crossroads: Patient needs are growing and evolving as our population ages, and we face a critical shortage of trained nurses to respond.
I know the impact staffing shortages have on nurses and patients because I’ve lived it. I was a nurse for 29 years in various clinical settings, including bedside roles in surgery and telemetry units, before I transitioned to nursing education to develop the next generation of nurses.
Being short-staffed takes a toll on everyone: doctors, nurses and ultimately patients. Staffing shortages create a vicious cycle; without enough nurses, the burden on others increases and individuals are more likely to leave a stressful work environment.
While the shortage impacts health systems and patients nationwide, Florida is among the top five states projected to have the worst nursing shortages by 2030, with a possible shortfall of 59,100 nurses by 2035. The stakes for patients are high: longer wait times, less availability of care and substandard nurse-patient ratios.
The shortage is already being felt in Tampa, with some local health care workers saying they are experiencing increased workloads that are leading to fatigue and burnout. Addressing this problem in our community requires multifaceted tactics and innovative solutions.
As a nurse educator, my goal is not just to prepare the next generation of nurses to fill an immediate need but also to equip them for a rewarding and sustainable career. That means more than simply training more nurses — we must train nurses who are better equipped for the realities of a changing health care system.
Teaching methods should go beyond textbooks, lectures and theory. Innovative training methods, like hands-on simulation learning, help students prepare for the scenarios they are likely to face on the job — whether in an operating room or a patient’s living room. Combating the cycle of burnout is also crucial. We need to teach our students to care for themselves, prioritize their mental health and recognize the signs of burnout. Educators should work closely with clinical partners to ensure we teach real-world skills.
Of course, increasing the number of nurses we train is also critical. Three-year programs are one solution, reducing the life disruption of nursing education and entering the workforce faster. We also need to expand opportunities for career changers and other non-traditional students by creating scheduling flexibility, when possible, for students who balance school with competing responsibilities.
The profession needs to be accessible to students from all backgrounds and life situations if we’re going to meet the state’s health care needs. Today’s students often juggle school, work and family.
Alleviating the nursing shortage won’t be easy and requires educators, health care institutions and community leaders to collaborate. The recently announced Well-Being Advisory Board from The Florida Center for Nursing is an excellent start — heightening focus on nurses’ emotional well-being as a key step to strengthening our workforce. Community-based initiatives in our state will help us sustain and grow the nursing profession for the long haul.
By working together to provide educational innovations, improve accessibility and support our nursing workforce’s emotional and physical needs, we can ensure that Florida’s patients benefit from a robust and thriving health system in the years ahead.
Cam Felismino, Arizona College of Nursing
Cam Felismino, Ph.D., is dean of nursing at Arizona College of Nursing in Tampa. In addition to being an experienced educator, Felismino served as a bedside nurse for 29 years.