Monday, March 9, 2009
The U.S. healthcare system is pinched by a persistent nursing shortage that threatens the quality of patient care even as tens of thousands of people are turned away from nursing schools, according to experts.
An estimated 116,000 registered nurse positions are unfilled at U.S. hospitals and nearly 100,000 jobs go vacant in nursing homes, experts said.
The shortage has drawn the attention of President Barack Obama. During a White House meeting on Thursday to promote his promised healthcare system overhaul, Obama expressed alarm over the notion that the United States might have to import trained foreign nurses because so many U.S. nursing jobs are unfilled.
From the Left 
My BBF Linda is a nurse, she is just wrapping up her Masters. As a school nurse she just found out her hours are being cut because they do not generate revenue. It pretty much sucks if you ask me.
Her first mistake was working as a school nurse.
Is she in North Carolina? Duke University Medical Center is hiring RNs like crazy. Several of Jim’s former classmates were recruited by Duke and they just moved down to Durham. Also, if she has a Masters, she can teach.
Around metro Washington DC, Maryland and in northern Virginia, RN jobs in hospitals, and university teaching hospitals like Johns Hopkins, are begging and the salaries are sky high.
One of my daughters thinks her job as a manager at a software company is going to go away this year so she’s thinking about becoming a nurse.
Healthcare is one of the bright spots in an otherwise awful economy.
I could be a school nurse at an all boys Catholic high school. Talk about getting paid for having fun. It wouldn’t even seem like I was going to work. Where do I apply?
??? Aren’t High School boys still underage?
I have a friend who went into nursing and he works in a hospital surgery department. Major blood and guts but, the hours are fixed, he works M-F and he is paid some serious coin. I think last I heard he was making $40 an hour or about $80,000 a year.
If I were 20 years younger, I would go back to school and become an RN. I used to think about it but my life and education took me to a different career path. Plus, today an RN makes much more than 20 years ago. I see ads in the Sunday paper and I can’t believe what an RN makes in Connecticut.
Our local brand new hospital just let go of 60 workers because they are losing money. They said they have too many people coming to the hospital who are uninsured. When the recession hits a community, there are waves of aftereffects across all sectors.
As an RN with 15 years experience, working in both large and small hospital environments, in cities in the west and the southeast, I can testify to almost endless opportunities nursing offers. I was on the floor for 10 years and I enjoyed it tremendously. I decided, after obtaining my MSN, to teach. While very different from working on the floor, it is very rewarding and I have to say, not being on my feet all day is like a vacation! But I can see going back to the floor one day, if even for just a few years.
Mary Beth – Are you still at Emory?
Hi David! Yes, I’m still at Emory. I’m 20 hours a week with the first year students and roughly 12 hours a week at the hospital with the new hires, mostly new grad RN’s and the PA’s. It keeps me busy and out of trouble!
We have a health care system? That would be news, if it were true.
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Longtime reader, and first time poster.
I’m an RN in the ED at Baylor (BUMC) in Dallas, TX. I can report there is no shortage of job openings at Baylor’s 13 hospitals and clinics in North Texas.
Baylor can’t find enough nurses to fill the available shifts despite salaries among the highest in the state and generous benefit packages. There isn’t a week that passes where we’re asked if we’re interested in working an additional shift, or just four more hours compensated at time and a half.
Nursing is a demanding profession but tremendously rewarding and I can attest to the fact if you decide to join us and become an RN, you will definitely have job security for life.