Nursing shortages Baby boomers and the immigrant nurse

This deep recession (or depression, as some are now calling it) has not left healthcare unscathed. It is worldwide in its effect, which makes a quick recovery very unlikely. Jobs that were once thought to be "recession-proof" are proving not to be. Many hospitals - the nurses' main employers - have been operating for years on a razor-thin profit margin. Nursing jobs are not nearly as plentiful, many hospitals are having hiring freezes, some hospitals are closing down entirely. The entire US economy is undergoing a radical reconstruction with many jobs disappearing for good. The effects of an implosion of the runaway overgrown credit economy and market globilization must run their course. We are just a few steps away from government takeover of healthcare, and what this will mean for the profession of nursing in the US is uncertain. We are definitely living in turbulent times.

I agree with Vicki. We hear how short staffed hospitals and yet it is almost impossible to find a job now. I was doing travel nursing, my last contract ended early July 2008. I couldn't find a new assignment chose to take a few weeks off and go home for a visit, I finally gave up looking for a travel assignment (I wasn't specialized) in med/surg. I am originally from Canada but hadn't worked there in years, but decided to take a permanent position in a new hospital because it was available. I keep looking to relocate back to the US in California or Arizona and there seem to be very little in the way of jobs at all now. My friends who have been travel nursing tell me the same stories about no jobs either travel or permanent. I can only imagine how much of a mess the hospitals will be in at the end of this recession/depression if they are already short staffed. My heart goes out to new grads, laid off nurses and patients alike. Just when health care is needed more than ever there are cut backs, hiring freezes and wage freezes, or less wages for new hires.

Thanks for taking the time to compile this, madwife. Great links and statistics!

I am a new grad looking for a job and as hard as nursing school was this is even worse. I get job offers that pay so low I cant believe it. I'm stuck and dont know what to do. Glad I worked my butt off for so many years for this.

I honestly believe that if we are patient we will see a change in the recruiting at hospitals, most of the hospitals have run scared and put a stop without much regard for the future. You cannot run a hospital on NO staff, natrual wastage by retirement, death, illness is going to occur, staff are going to find other jobs and then we will find panic in the oppersite direction-mass recruiting. Unlike some industries where lay offs may be affecting people for 10's of years to come, Health care is a neccessary evil. We will still have the same expectations, illnesses, accidents and so on they will not go away nor will they wait for finances to improve-it is not like buying a car.

Well you got my attention! I hope to graduate in May 2010 and thought it'd be pretty easy to get a job. Hopefully I will, but now I'm not so optimistic.

The full impact of this nursing shortage will not be felt until about 2015. I've been a RN x 33 years now, and my group is TIRED. . . tired of working short-staffed, tired being relatively poorly paid, and tired of being disrespected by the new regimes. I'm happier teaching and consulting with just a wee bit of hospice every now and again. Prepare for the worst. . .duck and cover. . .it IS coming!

With the nursing shortage predicted to be getting worse, I don't understand why many Nursing Programs play games with their students by using matter-of-opinion questions, mind games, etc. You would think they would be helping the students get through the programs.

If hospitals want more nurses, and they say they do, they should make positions more appealing to baby boomer nurses. Offer 8 or 10 hour shifts instead of just 12's. Be willing to provide a little extra training to nurses who have been in a different field. Pay for necessary classes. Utilize older nurses for less physically demanding jobs. I've found there is age discrimination in nursing just like most other fields. If they can hire a new grad for less than a nurse with decades of experience, they will.

the VA hospitals mostly operate on 8 hour shifts and I definitely think the doom is coming in a few years....I came back from south america 2 months ago and didn't realize I couldn't be that picky...so much for all those "your career in nursing" books

Thanks for your reply. I have fibromyalgia so physical exertion and stamina are important considerations. My fibro has improved immensely over the years (if interested, ask me how) but is still a factor. I went from 12-hour shifts in a busy ER to senior health management but those jobs are limited in my area. The state does not require any nurses in assisted living facilities so most companies aren't willing to pay for them. Caregivers with 8 hours of training (the new requirement) act as med techs in many large and small AL's. Residents and families are not aware of the high med error rates with this system and, in my experience, management prefers not to know because knowledge requires action. I love the geriatric/dementia population but job stability (or lack thereof) is often tied to the census rather than performance.

i am a little surprised about everyone's reaction to the jobs (lack of??). when i found out i was accepted into nursing school i went on a bunch of websites to look at what kind of opprotunities are out there...there are tons!!!! i am taking rpn at humber college in toronto and most of the job postings i found for rpn's were part-time with full-time hours (maybe not the best thing, but it's still a job) with an average pay of $20.00/hr. there are also local (london area)newspaper ads all the time in for rn's and rpn's needed in nursing homes.here are a couple of the websites i found with job postings:ontarionursing.cahealthforceontario.cahope that helps...:spin: