Amerika

About 1 in 5 newly licensed nurses quits within a year, according to one national study.

That turnover rate is a major contributor to the nation’s growing shortage of nurses. But there are expanding efforts to give new nursing grads better support. Many hospitals are trying to create safety nets with residency training programs.

The national nursing shortage could reach 500,000 by 2025, as many nurses retire and the demand for nurses balloons with the aging of baby boomers, according to Peter Buerhaus of Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

“When things are going good and I’m not overwhelmed and I’m able to help people, I love it,” she said, recalling the gratification of seeing a bedridden patient finally manage to take a few steps.

“There are always those moments,” she said, “but they’re interrupted pretty quickly.”

MSN

We have too many people going through our health care system, and too much of our effort spent on non-critical care. Why?