The nursing shortage and the doctor shortage are two very different things

Nursing is bracing for what’s being called a “silver tsunami” — a graying Baby Boomer workforce entering retirement. On top of that, many other nurses are leaving the field out of frustration. Why? They don’t feel they’re making enough of a difference for their patients.

A 2011 study found that more than 20 percent of nurses who provide direct patient care expressed job dissatisfaction, compared to 13 percent of nurses in non-institutional settings.