Looming Shortage of Critical Care Specialists

US medical and nursing training programs are not producing a sufficient number of qualified critical care doctors and nurses to meet the needs of the nation's population, according to the Society of Critical Care Medicine (Des Plaines, IL, USA) in a recent position paper. The current supply of specialists is not only inadequate but the shortage is expected to increase significantly through the year 2030.

The society maintains that less than one-quarter of US intensive care units (ICUs) are currently staffed by doctors adequately trained in ICU management. The shortage of critical care nurses is even more severe. Moreover, as the aging of the US population increases, the "baby boomers” will create a huge surge in demand, exacerbating the problem. The society suggests four steps that could help solve the shortage: increase funding for training programs so they can attract more candidates, engage professional societies and the public to advocate for the expansion of these programs, improve working conditions and increase compensation for nurses, and educate the public on the life-saving value of trained ICU doctors and nurses.

The American Association of Critical Care Nurses is collaborating with the Indiana University School of Nursing and Clarian Health Partners in Indiana to develop a series of online classes to prepare ICU nurses and nursing students across the nation. The classes will offer students a variety of ways to learn, including taped lectures, interactive CD-ROM demonstrations, online interactions with nationwide experts, a reference area for the latest research and professional standards, real-life nurse mentors, and real-world clinical experience working with an experienced mentor. The group hopes to offer the courses at hospitals across the nation and also in other countries.

"Our most critically ill patients do not receive optimal care and many are dying unnecessarily,” said Ann E. Thompson, M.D., president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. The society has 10,000 members worldwide.




Related Links:
Society of Critical Care Medicine