By Adam Chambers, CEO of Nurse Recruitment Experts
The nursing shortage is not just about numbers. It’s a national challenge about lives, burnout, and impossible choices.
At our recent Nurse Recruitment Secrets webinar, we reviewed emotional testimony from the Nevada Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Nurses spoke in support of Senate Bill 182, which proposes nurse-to-patient staffing ratios aligned with national standards.
“Sometimes you feel like you just escaped the fire, and you’re not looking forward to going back in,” said Elizabeth Bullhouse, a nurse of 27 years.
“When a nurse has 10 patients in a 12-hour shift, that’s less than six minutes per hour per patient,” added Jody Dominick, a nurse with 19 years of experience. “Add a phone call, handwashing, charting—how are you supposed to care for someone safely?”
As hospital leaders work to navigate this ongoing shortage, here are five critical facts every executive should know—and act on.
Table of Contents
1. Nurse Retention: The Overlooked Driver of the Nursing Shortage
While many conversations center on recruiting more nurses, the bigger issue is keeping the ones we already have.
- One-third of nurses leave in the first year
- Over half leave by year two
- Unsafe workloads and burnout are the primary drivers
Recruiting won’t solve the crisis if your nurses don’t stay. Retention must be a strategic priority. Nurse retention is the most overlooked solution to the nursing shortage—and it’s within your control.
2. Unsafe Staffing Endangers Patients and Increases Risk
The staffing crisis directly impacts patient care—and the data backs it up.
A Pennsylvania study found a 16% increase in 30-day mortality for every additional patient assigned to a nurse. When staffing is stretched thin, care quality declines and legal risk increases.
3. Policy Pressure Is Growing—and Nurses Are Leading the Push
SB182 would limit patient assignments, require compliance oversight, and aim to reduce nurse burnout. While supporters believe it would improve safety and retention, not everyone agrees.
Hospitals have voiced concern over ripple effects:
- Can we hire fast enough to meet the ratios?
- Will we lose flexibility in nurse assignments?
- Could services be reduced if hospitals fall out of compliance?
- What will it cost?
Nevada currently ranks 46th in nurses per capita and needs over 3,000 additional RNs just to meet the national average. But as Dakota Hoskins from SEIU pointed out:
“We’re not seeing staffing as a supply problem. We’re seeing it as a working conditions problem. Nurses aren’t staying because they feel unsafe.”
This highlights how the nursing shortage is being driven not just by numbers, but by environments that push nurses out of the profession.
4. States That Mandated Ratios Have Seen Positive Outcomes
Opponents of SB182 cite operational concerns. But the evidence tells a different story.
- California did not lose hospitals when staffing ratios became law. The number of bedside nurses increased.
- A New York study showed that hospitals saved $720 million over two years thanks to lower infection rates and reduced readmissions.
- In just two Nevada hospitals, over 6,000 Assignment Despite Objection (ADO) forms were filed in four years.
Staffing reform isn’t unproven—it’s already working elsewhere.
5. The Real Risk Is Inaction
Healthcare leaders often ask: Will this create more problems than it solves?
But the more urgent question is: What happens if we do nothing?
When nurses feel unsupported, they leave. When staffing is short, patients wait longer, outcomes decline, and burnout spreads. Addressing the nursing shortage means changing the conditions that are driving nurses out, and that change starts at the leadership level.
What Can You Do Right Now?
At Nurse Recruitment Experts, we help healthcare organizations across the U.S. and Canada not only attract more candidates, but also attract the right ones and keep them longer.
Since 2019, our clients have filled thousands of roles using our proven 3-step approach:
- Precision-targeted digital advertising
- Thorough screening and qualification
- Consultative recruitment strategy and support
We offer results-based pricing, no long-term contracts, and a recruitment partner who understands both data and people.
If your organization is struggling with the nursing shortage, we can help you address it with a modern, retention-first recruitment strategy.
If you’re ready to take a smarter approach to staffing, visit nurserecruitmentx.com or subscribe to our newsletter for weekly hiring insights.
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President of Nurse Recruitment Experts.
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