The Economic Benefits of Resolving Florida’s Nursing Shortage

Abstract

The Florida Center for Nursing’s Board of Directors has proposed a set of strategies for resolution of the nursing shortage in Florida that include 1) retaining existing nurses in the Florida nurse workforce by improving the nursing work environment, 2) maximizing capacity within Florida nurse education programs in order to increase the number of new graduate nurses, and 3) planning for nursing needs in a strategic, data-driven fashion.1 Solutions to the nursing shortage are often viewed as costs to be borne by the state legislature, nurse employers, professional and trade organizations, and other stakeholders who recognize the value of an adequate nurse supply for the health of Floridians. Years of research have made clear the association between adequate nurse staffing and positive patient outcomes,2 and many stakeholders have evaluated the benefits of quality healthcare as worth these costs.