The Nursing Shortage Has Deeper Causes: An Investigation into the Situation and Motivation of Nursing Staff

Subject of the Study

The indispensable nature of nursing professions for societal well-being and their relevance to social security should be firmly present in public consciousness, especially since the years of the pandemic. Their significance is likely to grow in light of demographic developments characterized by an aging population, accompanied by an increasing need for caregivers.

However, even today, the need for care can hardly be met due to a lack of recruitment of sufficient new talent. When speculating about the frequently invoked nursing crisis and its causes, the common approach is to use statistical data to describe this professional group and turn its members into subjects of research. But what do we really know about the biographical backgrounds, the work situations, and the subjective well-being of caregivers? Where do they personally get a chance to speak when it comes to problems directly affecting them? Instead, new political initiatives are constantly being launched, the success of which is unpredictable. Standardized surveys and quantitative studies only scratch the surface and cannot bridge the gap between wish and reality.

Our institute, which is committed to addressing social issues using qualitative social research methods, has dedicated itself to this important concern through a self-initiated and self-funded empirical pilot study.

Empirical Social Research

In detailed interviews, caregivers were able to talk about their career paths, the decision to enter this profession, their daily experiences with challenges, but also satisfactions, and to act as experts in their own work environment. These subjective testimonies provide an incredibly dense and lifelike picture of this profession. Additionally, perspectives from ward and nursing home management, business executives, investors, and especially training institutions were sought to understand and interpret the complex cosmos of ‘care’ in depth.

Findings of the Pilot Study

The pilot study thus provides new insights into why young people choose this profession and why they often change it, as well as what conditions in training and day-to-day work are important and necessary. This allows for a comprehensive insight for further analyses and also provides initial indications of the pitfalls that can arise in the newly planned measures and what would be important for success. If you are interested in our results and follow-up research, we welcome your contact.

Contact person:

Prof. Franz Schultheis und Hans Melchiors