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Nursing is one of the most important professions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there will be a shortage of 438,000 Registered Nurses (RNs) by the year 2026. There are various factors for the shortage of RNs. One of the main factors is the retirement of thousands of aging nursing force and not enough new nurses to replace them. As per the study, the shortage of nurses in the warmer region such as Texas, California, and Florida will be approximately 40 percent higher than the other region. In rural area hospitals, the shortage of nurses will be more than the hospitals in the urban area. Due to advancement in medical and technological science, the Americans are living longer, and the medical attention and nursing care are more required in their later life. Another noticeable factor for the shortage of nurses in the USA is the lack of sufficient faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and funding for the nursing students (Scherman, 2018).

Though finding a solution for the nursing shortage is a complex problem and will take time to resolve, there are various ways in the nursing profession to address this issue. One of the solutions is to use travel nurses. Their services can be utilized when the workplace is overloaded due to natural disaster or an illness outbreak. Another solution is to offer compensation packages for relocation so that the nurses from another state can make up the shortage. Also, by providing growth opportunities such as specialized positions or roles with more responsibilities, nurses shortages can be addressed. Making access to education easier and by providing continuing education, more nursing skills can be developed, thereby reducing the nursing shortage (Nursing Shortage Solutions: Where Do We Go from Here? 2019.)