Discourse / Discours : Nursing's Valued Resources: Critical Issues in Economies and Nursing Care

Abstract

Nursing's first steps into the 21st century have been charted by a set of pressing economic issues around the composition and allocation of nursing resources. Buffeted by a deepening nursing shortage of global dimensions, health-care demand that is outpacing resources, and consumer demands for safe, effective, and responsive care, nursing finds itself at a critical juncture regarding two fundamental questions: what resources (financial and other) are necessary to build and maintain a qualified and effective nursing workforce, and how can nursing resources be most effectively allocated to meet evolving health-care needs. The current plight provides us with an opportunity to address such questions in new and creative ways, by critically examining how we are supporting the current nursing workforce and preparing the future one, the settings and roles in which the workforce is deployed, and the degree to which decisions in these matters are based on research that demonstrates the most cost-effective ways of allocating nursing care. The aggressive pursuit of these questions requires the input of every branch of the profession: practice, administration, education, research, and policy. It also requires that we grapple with the following issues. First, nursing finds itself once again battling a workforce shortage. Though the causes may vary, this shortage has serious implications for the kind of nursing care we are able to provide and for how well current and future health-care needs will be met. While we have stared down previous nursing shortages, largely through short-term financial