The staffing shortage's far-reaching effects

Health care jobs are reported to be among both the largest- and fastest-growing occupations in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics projections for 2002-2012. If patients cannot be readily assigned to other nurses, delays may occur in transporting patients and impact schedule of other departments. It could have a major impact on smaller hospitals were there is a large amount of multitasking. California has taken the lead in establishing nurse-to-patient ratios, but other states are in various stages of multidisciplinary health care legislative activity.