Is the nursing shortage really over?

Hard economic times have brought about changes in many industries, and health care is far from immune. For years nursing has been a nearly guaranteed employment choice for candidates up to the challenge. But now, shifting tides at many health care institutions have stemmed the need for trained and able workers.

One major factor is that some medical providers (such as the Boston Medical Center and the Long Island College Hospital) have had to instigate job cuts to fight against lowering profits. Many such hospitals are suffering from decreased patient volumes, Medicaid reimbursement reductions, or an increase in uninsured or underinsured customers. According to an American Hospital Association report, more than half of all US hospitals are reducing staff or otherwise cutting costs.

Another factor is that many trained and experienced former nurses are putting off retirement or going back to the health care market after other career paths (or spousal incomes) are cut off by economic troubles. Nursing graduate levels have increased in recent years as well.

The trend reversal seems to be region-specific, however. In some areas, health care firms are still expanding nurse training programs and shouting for new recruits and experienced workers alike. But in others, such as the Washington, DC and Pittsburgh metro areas, reports from the news media indicate a possible end to the nurse shortage.

While health care professionals are a necessary commodity in any economic atmosphere, the nursing profession is definitely experiencing some negative impact from the current recession. However, many reports indicate that the shortage is only under a lull, and some predict that the present decrease in demand could create an even bigger shortage in another 10 years (especially when the older nursing generation retires). Either way the future of these jobs is intimately tied to whether hospitals continue to flounder, medical bills continue to go unpaid, and ultimately whether the US health care system can be restructured for the benefit of institutions, workers, and patients alike.