--- title: One Take on the Top 10 Issues Facing Nursing description: What are the biggest issues in nursing today? --- ### One Take on the Top 10 Issues Facing Nursing *Posted By* Pat Magrath Tue, Nov 08, 2011 @ 09:19 AM - - - Excerpts of this article are from [Shawn Kennedy,](http://ajnoffthecharts.com/category/shawn-kennedy-ajn-editor-in-chief/) MA, RN, Editor-in-Chief for the American Journal of Nursing At the most recent Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) biennial meeting in Gaylord Texas, there was a seminar and discussion of the top 10 issues facing nursing, led by STTI’s publications director Renee Wilmeth. The issues were compiled from responses provided by 30 nursing leaders, and were presented in question form: 1) Is evidence-based practice (EBP) helpful or harmful? (Amazing how many interpretations there were of EBP, some of them—as I know from our EBP series—quite incorrect.) 2) What is the long-term impact of technology on nursing? 3) Can we all agree that a bachelor’s degree should be the minimum level for entry into practice? (General agreement here, despite concerns regarding the adequacy of financial support for achieving this goal.) 4) DNP vs PhD: separate but equal? (Not much discussion—I think no one wanted to really get into this.) 5) How do nurses get a seat at the policy table? 6) How do nurses cope with the growing ethical demands of practice? (This generated the most discussion, especially around whether society should provide unlimited costly care to those whose personal choices contribute to their health problems.) 7) How do we fix the workplace culture of nursing? 8) What role do nurse leaders play in the profession? 9) What are we doing about the widening workforce age gap? 10) How do we make the profession as diverse as the population for whom it cares? What do you think? Would you agree that these are the ‘top 10’ issues? What’s missing? What’s here that shouldn’t be? We would love to hear your opinions, please share them here. Topics : - [diversity](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/topic/diversity) - [Workforce](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/topic/workforce) - [employment](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/topic/employment) - [nursing](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/topic/nursing) - [diverse](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/topic/diverse) - [Articles](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/topic/articles) - [nurse](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/topic/nurse) - [nurses](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/topic/nurses) ### Recent Posts [![](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/hubfs/GettyImages-1428257600.jpg) ##### Advancing Mental Health Equity for Every Community Thu, Jul 02, 2026 @ 09:34 AM Every July, the United States observes National Minority Mental Health Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the unique mental health challenges experienced by racial and ethnic minority... Read More ](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/advancing-mental-health-equity-for-every-community) [![](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/hubfs/GettyImages-2196910512.jpg) ##### Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Nursing School and Beyond Wed, Jun 24, 2026 @ 01:29 PM There's a moment almost every nursing student experiences. You're standing at the bedside, maybe it's your first clinical day, maybe it's your first week on the floor as a new grad, and a small, cold... Read More ](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/overcoming-imposter-syndrome-in-nursing-school-and-beyond) [![](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/hubfs/GettyImages-2173000043.jpg) ##### We're Still Burning: A Nurse's Take on the 2026 Burnout Statistics Wed, Jun 17, 2026 @ 10:33 AM I've been a Nurse long enough to remember when "burnout" wasn't something we talked about openly. You pushed through a brutal shift, grabbed a lukewarm coffee from the break room, and did it all... Read More ](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/blog/were-still-burning-a-nurses-take-on-the-2026-burnout-statistics) #### Subscribe to Email Our Newsletter [![Education_Award_Square](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Education_Award_Square.jpeg?width=485&height=317&name=Education_Award_Square.jpeg) ](https://blog.diversitynursing.com/education-award)