The global nursing shortage has had a far-reaching impact on the health care workforce and pulmonary, clinical care, and sleep research, prompting ATS President Gregory P. Downey, MD, ATSF, and American Association of Critical Care Nurses President Amanda Bettencourt, PhD, APRN, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P, to label it a critical issue earlier this year.

On Monday, May 22, Nursing Year in Review: Assuring a Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Nursing Workforce will provide a collaborative forum to explore solutions to this pressing need. The session will take place from 2:15–3:45 p.m. ET in Room 102 A-B (Street Level) of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. 

“This is a crisis that trickles down and will ultimately affect the quality of patient care,” ATS Nursing Assemblies Program Committee Chair Sharron Crowder, PhD, RN, ATSF, explained. “If you don’t have an optimal number of health care professionals, the quality and safety of the care will diminish. None of us want our loved ones to be sick and not be able to receive the quality of care that we expect.” 

Featured presentations include:

• Theories and Models for Recruitment and Retention of Nurses, Eileen G. Collins, PhD, ATSF, University of Illinois at Chicago
• Well-Being, Safety, and Burnout: Interprofessional Teams and the Roles They Play, Tammy L. Eaton, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, ACHPN, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
• Supporting Nurse Staffing Through Policy Initiatives, Deena Kelly Costa, PhD, RN, Yale University
• Brief Applicable Highlights from the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Report, Sharron J. Crowder, PhD, RN, ATSF, Indiana University

Session speakers will review policies related to the nursing staff, present interprofessional models for the well-being and safety of health care teams, and explain recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce throughout various stages of their careers.

“Our speakers will provide an overview of the current literature related to these issues and also share their perspectives with what they are seeing in health care every day,” Dr. Crowder said. “The bottom line is to provide health care and improve the health outcomes of the people we serve. That’s where our mission is. However, we need a healthy workforce to achieve that level of care.” 

After the featured presentations, Linda L. Chlan, PhD, RN, ATSF, FAAN; Kathleen O. Lindell, PhD, RN, ATSF; and M. Melanie Lyons, PhD, MSN, ACNP-BC, will join Drs. Costa, Eaton, and Collins in a panel discussion to further examine the nursing shortage.

“There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to improve recruitment and retention,” Dr. Crowder said. “The panel will take the lessons learned from the session speakers and break them down into areas that will apply to our audience among various systems and career stages. We want attendees to leave enriched with ideas and the feeling that they can foster adoption of strategies discussed within their work environment.”