On this month's cover, nurses and other health care professionals provide care to a patient in distress. While this scene is common in critical care settings, it's becoming more common on medical-surgical units owing to the increased acuity of patients in hospitals and the use of rapid response teams.
Since the 1930s, hospitals have been the main workplace for most nurses. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 62% of nurses work in a hospital setting, about 21% of these in critical care.
While a shortage of nurses in many specialties is expected, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) says that critical care is facing a worse nursing shortage than others. Citing "the skyrocketing number of requests for temporary and traveling critical care nurses to fill staffing gaps," the organization reports that the greatest number of requests are coming from adult critical care units, pediatric and neonatal ICUs, and EDs. In response to the anticipated shortage, the AACN notes that many hospitals are taking steps to attract both experienced and newly licensed nurses to critical care by offering critical care orientation and internship programs.-Diane Szulecki, associate editor