With all the bad news about the economy, at least there is a glimmer of hope for nursing students.
Obtaining RN credentials may be one of the most secure educational choices in the uncertain economic climate, according to The Fort Worth, TX Star-Telegram. Nursing is one profession that hasn’t been affected by the economy and will continue to grow in the future, especially as the Baby Boomer generation ages. The U.S. is short 118,000 nurses, but the American Hospital Association predicts in coming years the shortage will increase to 340,000.
The Department of Labor says the United States lost 760,000 jobs this year, but according to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, some sectors of the economy—like education, government, and healthcare—keep hiring no matter what the economic state. During the past year, for example, healthcare hiring made up 17% of all U.S. job growth, or 367,000 jobs.
The number of registered nurses is expected to grow 24% by 2016, which is more than twice the growth of the rest of the workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How has the economy affected your nursing life?
December 15th, 2008 at 9:33 am
We have seen a number of hospital closings in our area (Northern NJ) with many nurses losing their jobs, some after many years with the same facility. I work in a SNF. Unfortunately, Long Term Care has been known to have lower starting salaries than hospitals. We have seen a number of nurses who were desperate for jobs come here, go through orientation and training, only to leave as soon as a hospital job became available. This has made it difficult for the staff that stays and, more importantly, difficult for our residents who have become used to having steady, familiar faces providing their care. This area has definitely not been recession-proof for nurses, with the ramifications wide spread.