Abstract
Worldwide, nurse shortages constitute a problem, including in the Netherlands. Every
region in the country has a shortage of all types of nurses. At the same time, there are large hidden reserves: persons who have been trained as a nurse but do not work in the healthcare sector. The size of the hidden reserve exceeds the shortage of nurses. Until now, the literature has not paid much attention to spatial aspects of the nursing shortage problem. In this paper, we analyze the size of the hidden reserves and how they are distributed over the country, across large and smaller cities, and across different nurse categories. We find that especially densely populated areas have relatively small shares of trained nurses as well as large hidden reserves relative to their population. These areas are also facing the largest nurse shortages. As nurse labor markets are local, policies that
are more focused on local situations are necessary to activate these hidden reserves.
region in the country has a shortage of all types of nurses. At the same time, there are large hidden reserves: persons who have been trained as a nurse but do not work in the healthcare sector. The size of the hidden reserve exceeds the shortage of nurses. Until now, the literature has not paid much attention to spatial aspects of the nursing shortage problem. In this paper, we analyze the size of the hidden reserves and how they are distributed over the country, across large and smaller cities, and across different nurse categories. We find that especially densely populated areas have relatively small shares of trained nurses as well as large hidden reserves relative to their population. These areas are also facing the largest nurse shortages. As nurse labor markets are local, policies that
are more focused on local situations are necessary to activate these hidden reserves.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1353-1369 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Nursing Reports |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 May 2024 |
Keywords
- nurse shortages
- hidden reserve
- regional differences
- nurse mobility