Oxygen - Fixing the Nursing Shortage

In the heart of the University of Washington’s Annual DubHacks Hackathon, a seed of an idea took root, stemmed from a global issue in healthcare that hits my family close to home. My name is Nathan Daeila, and along with my colleague Ben Price, we set out on a journey not just to develop an application but to create a meaningful solution to a critical problem facing our healthcare system: the nursing shortage. This narrative isn’t about pitching an app; it’s about sharing our journey, our challenges, our intentions, and everything else that went into making Oxygen a reality.

Understanding the Magnitude of the Nursing Shortage

To grasp the depth of the issue we aimed to address, it’s essential to consider key statistics that highlight the severity of the nursing shortage:

• Projected Recruitment Needs for the next 10 Years

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections for 2021-2031 indicate that the Registered Nursing (RN) workforce is expected to grow by only 6%, from 3.1 million to 3.3 million nurses, but we need that growth every single year to catch up! There will be approximately 203,200 openings for RNs each year through 2031 considering nurse retirements and workforce exits, totalling to around 1.8 million open nurse positions. This statistic underscores not just the growing need for nurses, but also the turnover and retirement rates affecting the workforce.

• Shortage Across the States

The United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast, as published in the American Journal of Medical Quality, projects a significant RN shortage in 30 states, with the most intense shortage in the Western region of the U.S. This state-by-state analysis paints a picture of a nationwide challenge, varying in intensity but uniformly critical.

• The Entire Workforce is Retiring

A 2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey found that the average age of an RN is 52 years old. This data suggests a looming wave of retirements over the next 15 years, exacerbating the shortage as experienced nurses leave the workforce.

The Conception of Oxygen

The genesis of Oxygen was born out of a discussion about family members in healthcare that quickly escalated into a profound realization - we noticed that the increasingly generous salaries in the healthcare system, particularly in nursing positions, are due to a serious shortage in nurses. There is a growing demand for nurses, yet fewer people are choosing nursing as a career path. This discrepancy isn’t just a statistic; it is a preventable challenge to public health and safety.

Driven by a desire to make a difference, Ben and I pondered over how we, as students with a passion for STEM and social good, could contribute to solving this problem. Thus, the concept of Oxygen was born - a digital platform envisioned to bridge the gap between aspiring healthcare professionals and the healthcare industry’s needs.

The Heart of Oxygen: Empowering Aspiring Nurses

The primary goal of Oxygen is straightforward yet ambitious: to empower individuals to join the healthcare workforce. We wanted to create a platform that simplified the process of finding healthcare-related jobs and training opportunities. But Oxygen is more than a mere job listing app; it is about inspiring a new generation to consider and embark on careers in nursing and healthcare.

Our approach is to provide a user-friendly interface that showcases local job listings and training sessions for entry-level healthcare professionals. We believe that by making information more accessible and the job search process more intuitive, we can encourage more people to pursue careers in nursing.

The Development Journey: Learning and Adapting

Developing Oxygen was a learning experience filled with challenges. As students with limited experience in app development, we faced hurdles in understanding and utilizing tools for the first time, like SwiftUI for FrontEnd Development. We spent countless of hours poring over documentation, researching potential stakeholders, seeking advice from mentors, and experimenting with different approaches.

One of the most significant challenges was designing an application that was both intuitive and comprehensive. We wanted Oxygen to be more than just a functional tool; it had to be engaging and user-friendly - like Duolingo. This meant constant revisions, user feedback sessions, and adapting our design to align with what potential users found most useful and appealing.

The Impact and Future of Oxygen

Since its inception, Oxygen has evolved from a simple idea into a platform with the potential to make a real impact. Our focus has always been on the application’s utility and relevance to the nursing shortage crisis. As we look to the future, our plans include enhancing Oxygen’s features to support career progression, continuous learning, and professional development in nursing.

In reflecting on our journey with Oxygen, what stands out the most is the sincerity of our mission. We didn’t embark on this project for accolades or recognition; our motivation was fueled by a genuine concern for the healthcare sector and a belief in the power of technology to bring about positive change. Oxygen is a testament to what can be achieved when passion, technology, and a desire to contribute to the greater good come together.