Archive for December, 2010

Possible ban could lower state smoking rate

In response to Indiana’s rising smoking rates, state legislators will again propose a bill in January that would place a statewide ban on smoking in all public areas and workplaces.

23 percent of Hoosier adults are smoking, six percent higher than the national average. State health officials say that a statewide smoking ban would lower the rate. (Photo courtesy of mctcampus.com)

The smoking rate in Indiana is 6 percent higher than the national average. According to state health officials, 23 percent of Hoosier adults light up, compared to the national average of 17 percent.

No developments in smoking laws on the statewide scale have been made since data was last collected, which is why Karla Sneegas, director of the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency, does not understand why Indiana’s rate is high.

“It should not be that high,” Sneegas said. “There is no reason for our rates to be higher than the national rate.”

Current state law ‘ineffective’

Supporters of a statewide smoking ban say it would keep the rate from getting any higher.

“The statistics really show that a ban means lower rates,” Sneegas said. “It’s that simple and there’s really no evidence saying otherwise.”

States with statewide smoking bans have lower smoking rates, according to a recently released study. (Graphic courtesy of mctcampus.com)

Twenty-seven states in the country have a complete ban in all public areas and workplaces, including restaurants and bars. The smoking rate is significantly lower in states with smoking bans.

Utah had the lowest rate, with 9.3 percent of adults smoking, while California and Maryland had rates of 14.8 and 14.9 percent respectively.

While 30 different localities and cities in Indiana have various types and levels of smoking bans, there is not a statewide ban to prohibit smoking in all places of employment.

Indiana is covered by the 1993 federal Clean Indoor Air Law, which prohibits smoking in schools and childcare and healthcare facilities.

Liza Sumpter of the Marion County Tobacco Control Program has criticized the law for not being effective enough in the efforts to lower the smoking rate.

“Putting laws here and not there is just not good enough,” Sumpter said. “It needs to be everything, because it’s not people of one county [who are] affected by secondhand smoke. The side effects impact people everywhere.”

A statewide ban would lower the rate in Indiana because it would be more inconvenient for Hoosiers to smoke, Sumpter said.

“When you have a ban, you find that people are less likely to smoke,” she said. “It’s not fun and it’s not cool to have to go out and smoke in the rain or in the snow, and a ban would make that a requirement if you wanted to smoke.”

In Marion County, smoking is prohibited in places of employment, but does not cover bars, taverns, bowling alleys, hotels and tobacco bars.

Of the 60 biggest cities in America, Indianapolis is one of 16 without a complete smoking ban in all places of employment.

A bill in the works

State legislators have introduced bills that would ban smoking in public areas and workplaces every year for the past three years.

The senate or the house has killed every one of those bills.

Rep. Charlie Brown (D-Gary) authored the bill presented in the most recent general assembly session. House Bill 1131 passed in the House 73-26, but died when it reached the senate in early February.

Brown, who has been working for five years to pass the bill, said he is hopeful it will eventually pass.

“The issue has a strong possibility of passing in the senate than it did in the past,” Brown said in a recent interview with the Indiana Economic Digest.

Sumpter said she remains positive that Brown’s next attempt will be successful.

“I think if we just keep pushing it, it will get in the hands of the governor,” Sumpter said.

Advocates on both sides of the fence

Graphic by Jillian McCarter. Statistics from Centers for Disease Control.

In the United States, secondhand smoke is responsible for almost 50,000 deaths from heart disease and lung cancer.

In Indiana, secondhand smoke is responsible for 9,700 deaths annually, according to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control.

Secondhand smoke costs $47 million in health care, loss of life and absenteeism costs every year.

“[Absenteeism] is a [cost] that is often overlooked, but someone has to pay the wages of those who miss work due to smoke-related illnesses,” Sumpter said.

Bruce Hetrick advocates a smoking ban. He said he thinks one should have been in place to avoid the effects of secondhand smoke.

“Quite frankly, the state of Indiana is killing people by allowing people to smoke in public areas,” Hetrick said.

Hetrick became an advocate after his wife, Pam Klein, died at age 49. She was diagnosed with a lung cancer usually found in smokers.

“She was around people who smoked all the time,” Hetrick said. “She had never smoked a day in her life. But she got cancer and it killed her.”

While some people are in favor of a statewide smoking ban, others fear that a ban would damage the livelihood of businesses across the state.

“Of course a ban would hurt my business,” Hal Yeagy, owner of the Slippery Noodle Inn in downtown Indianapolis, said. “We’re a tavern. We have live music. People come to drink, to socialize and to relax. If we take away any of those things, we lose part of what we are.”

Hal Yeagy, owner of The Slippery Noodle Inn is one advocate against a statewide smoking ban. (Photo courtesy of slipperynoodle.com.)

The government’s involvement in the issue is what bothers Yeagy and other advocates for not passing a ban, he said.

“Who are they to tell me what I can and cannot do in here?” Yeagy said. “I pay the bills, I pay the taxes. It’s mine.”

The decision to come into the bar is in the hands of the consumer, and Yeagy said the other decisions should be in their hands, too.

“I’m sympathetic to people who have suffered because of smoking and the problems it might have caused,” Yeagy said. “But as far as I am concerned, you have a choice if you want to come into my bar. We don’t force anyone to come in here and we don’t force anyone to work here.”

The unclear future of a smoking ban

Brown plans to propose a statewide ban again in January when the Indiana General Assembly convenes.

Sumpter said she is hopeful this time will be the last.

“Indiana’s never really been really innovative as far as getting into things quickly, but I just know it will be taken care of,” Sumpter said. “I have a good feeling that we’re moving in the right direction.”

What do you think?

Share your thoughts and keep updated on Indiana laws on Twitter!

Tell the author what YOU think about a possible smoking here!

Additional readings and resources

Northwestern Indiana Times covered the possible statewide ban in a recently-published article.

The Indianapolis Business Journal examined the possible affects on businesses across the state in an article published in November.

WANE, a news channel out of Fort Wayne, Ind. covered the story before the bill died in the senate.

An article published on heartland.org presented a case against the ban and provides links to further readings against smoking bans.

Watch a video version of this story below

Dec 09, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Merit Pay Stirs Debate

Tony Bennett

By Anne Carpenter

Seventy percent of Indianapolis high school students do not graduate. The national average is 30 percent. In order to bridge the gap, Tony Bennett, the state superintendent of public instruction, is fighting for merit-based pay for teachers.

At its core is a notion that everyone seems to agree on: better pay for better teachers. However, it is the finer details that seem to call in to question the future of merit pay in Indiana.

What is TAP?

A federally run and nationally recognized program, TAP is designed to motivate teachers who perform well in the classroom. The system will test students annually in order to determine growth and achievement. Based on these scores, teachers will have the opportunity to receive bonuses.

Bennett said that current standards for teacher pay are fundamentally wrong and that education reformation should begin with rewarding teachers who have successful students.

“I have this fundamental belief that we have a sad system when the financial highlight of a teacher’s career is realized the last day they work,” Bennett said. “We should truly recognize when a teacher hits his or her marks.”

Turmoil Amongst Teachers

English teacher for 12 years and adjunct professor at Butler University, Jannine Campbell said that our education system is broken and reform is necessary. She is just not convinced testing and merit pay will solve the problem.

“We’re testing our kids to death to see if they can reach some magical number on a test,” Campbell said. “It’ll just be, ‘Can you do well on this test?’ and that in my opinion does not equate to learning.”

Currently, teachers can count on receiving higher paychecks if they have more years in the classroom and a higher education degree. Because of tenure and detailed evaluations, it is difficult to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom. In order for a true educational reformation to occur, there must be a system in place to remove an ineffective teacher, Bennett said.

Linda Rollings, English department chair at Pike High School, said that merit-based pay might force teachers to evaluate their own teaching styles and influence on students.

However, she also feels that they may be doing so for the wrong reasons.

“With merit-pay, I think they’ll [the students] get better instruction,” Rollings said. “But, I think it’s because the teachers have to look at how they’re doing things and not how the student is learning it.”

What Does the Future Hold?

The U.S. Department of Education made $437 million in funds available to support initiatives that reward teachers, principals and other school personnel who improve student achievement. Indiana will receive $37 million.

Bennett is hopeful this grant will help put Indiana back on track to bridge the achievement gap of its students.

“We believe that all schools should aspire to be the highest quality,” Bennett said.

Assistant Principal of Pike High School, Roy Dobbs said he understands the idea of rewarding those teachers who do a good job and go beyond, but at the same time, it is harder to gauge the merit.

Dobbs said, “I don’t think you can take a bad teacher, give them another $5,000 and they automatically become a better teacher.”

Should Indiana teachers receive merit pay?
yes
no

See Results

Dec 09, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Hoosiers debate Central Time

By Lexie Beach

Dozens of students in Indiana are hurt or killed every year waiting for their school buses in the dark. Indiana State Representative Phil Hinkle has a plan to change that. He wants to move the entire state to Central Time. The proposed time zone change will give Hoosiers an extra hour of sunlight in the morning.

“The biggest reason we need to be put in the Central time zone is for the safety of the kids,” Hinkle said. “It is so dark, so pitch black at 6:15, 6:20 in the morning when the school buses are out, and it’s dark in the suburban areas so you can only imagine what it’s like out in the rural areas. That one hour of light will make a big difference.”

Victims of Morning Darkness

Ziang Ke, 15

• October 2, 2007 – Six-year-old Dynasty Wortham of Lafayette, Ind. was walking to school with her sister and brother at 7:00 a.m. She was hit by a car and died because the driver couldn’t see her.

• March 5, 2007 – A 15-year-old girl was abducted from her bus stop in Fishers, Ind. at 6:50 a.m. and raped

• March 23, 2007 – A 14-year-old Marshall Middle School student was abducted from her bus stop at 7:00 a.m. and raped.

• September 6, 2008 – A young Indianapolis boy was walking to school at 6:00 a.m. when he was hit by a pick-up truck and died.

• January 6, 2009 – 15-year-old Carmel High School student Ziang Ke was waiting for his school bus at 6:45 a.m. He was run over by the bus. The driver said he couldn’t see the student because it was so dark.

• October 7, 2010 – New Castle students Dalton Hatfield and Donald Wethington were walking to school at 7:30 a.m. in the dark. A car struck both of them. Eleven-year-old Hatfield died at the scene and 17-year-old Wethington was taken to a hospital with severe injuries.

Dalton Hatfield, 11

Support for Central Time

Supporters of Hinkle’s Central Time legislation include the Central Time Coalition, an organization that aims to educate Hoosiers and promote the benefits of moving the entire state to Central Time. Carmel resident Sue Dillon formed the coalition in April 2009 after hearing about Ke’s fatal accident.

“It’s a tragedy, all the way around, a tragedy—for the families, for the teachers, for the whole education community,” Dillon said. “When those tragedies happen they point out that it’s unsafe and we don’t want any more victims of morning darkness among our students.”

Studies show that Indiana currently has 120 days with sunrises before 7 a.m. However, if Indiana moved to Central Time, it would give the state 315 days of sunrises before 7 a.m. Research shows that earlier sunrises will not only increase safety for children in the morning but also improve their performance in the classroom.

Indiana Sunrise & Sunset Time Zone Chart

“Some kids’ schools start at 7:30. That means they’ve been there in their classrooms in their seats almost an hour before the sun rises,” Dillon said. “They’re not going to perform because their bodies aren’t awake. You might as well write off the first hour of school.”

Who Else Benefits from Central Time?

Thousands of farmers who work in Indiana could also benefit from the switch. The amount of morning darkness pushes working hours into the evening in spring, fall and winter. This reduces time for family and community involvement. The same can also be said for those who work in construction trades or landscaping.

Bill Rieber, an economics professor at Butler University, says many farmers never supported Eastern Time in the first place.

“Farmers were never really in favor of that because they go by the sun, not by the time,” Rieber says. “They’re still working at 8 in the evening because it’s light and everyone else is home relaxing, so they’re kind of on a different pace than the rest of the state.”

Central Time Critics

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce argues that from a commerce point of view, it is more effective for Indiana to be aligned with New York and Eastern Time.

Marcus Fehman, manager of business development for the chamber, is a proponent of Eastern Time.

“We’re on time now with the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Even though we do commerce with the West Coast, it doesn’t really make much of a difference to them if we’re on Eastern Time or Central Time. Is California going to be that upset if we’re 3 hours behind them or 2 hours behind them? Not as much as New York or places on the East Coast that are doing business with us and waiting an hour for us to get out of bed and get to work.”

Fehman argues that many supporters of Central Time don’t understand how the switch might negatively affect the state’s commerce.

“It’s just more strategically advantageous to be in sync with the East Coast rather than the West Coast,” says Fehman. “That one hour doesn’t necessarily sound that significant to us on a day to day basis but when it comes to the commerce aspect of it, it does have a tremendous effect.”

The Debate Continues

Eighty counties are on Eastern Time. Twelve counties are on Central Time. So what time is it in Indiana?

County Divisions

“Daylight Saving Time, DST, eliminated confusion among the states as to what time Indiana was on,” said Hinkle. “The central time zone will eliminate among Hoosiers as to what time Indiana is on.”

Hoosiers are divided into two camps. Some prefer more morning sunlight while others prefer more evening sunlight.

“We think this is a public policy decision that needs to be based on health, safety and welfare, not personal preference, because the personal preferences are definitely split,” said Dillon. “I think we have to keep our priorities. I mean, how important is it for you to have evening sunlight if it means two New Castle kids are going to be hit by a car?”

Hinkle plans to present Central Time legislation to the Indiana General Assembly in January. It must pass both the state House and the Senate. Governor Mitch Daniels must also sign the law. The final decision, however, is up to the US Department of Transportation, which has the power to switch the state from Eastern Time to Central Time.

Meanwhile, Hinkle continues to urge Hoosiers to consider the time change and how it will help keep our children safe.

“Those who say ‘Leave it alone, don’t touch it, its fine the way it is,’ it’s not fine the way it is.”

Check out a video version of the story below

Poll

Do you think Indiana should be on Eastern Time or Central Time?
Eastern Time
Central Time
No preference

See Results

Dec 09, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Indiana’s Unemployment

by Lydia Johnson

Indiana’s unemployment rate is higher than the United States.

The U.S. unemployment rate edged up to 9.8% this month.

At 9.9%, Indiana has the 10^th highest unemployment rate in the nation.

Local Area Unemployment Statistics

There are 309,637 unemployed people in the state, according to Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development.

The recession that began in the fall of 2007 caused many companies to shut down or lay off employees.

Biggest areas of job losses over the last 3 years include: education, construction, business, government and manufacturing.

Between August and October of this year, 12,300 government jobs were lost and 6,200 manufacturing jobs, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

Kekonna Watkins was a surveillance monitor for Marion County Department of Correction. She was laid off on Feb. 26, 2009. Since then Watkins has applied for multiple jobs but has not been hired yet.

“I’m still looking for a job,” she said. “Sooner or later my unemployment is going to run out, my last little bit. So I’m still looking.”

But competition is fierce.

“I’ve had so many interviews,” Watkins said. “When you don’t get hired after you’ve had your interview, you feel like ‘What are you doing wrong?’ ”

What the state is doing

The state partners with WorkOne, an agency that provides job services such as workshops, training and mock interviews. Many people use WorkOne’s computers, scanners and fax machines to apply for unemployment benefits and search for jobs.

As the unemployed population increases more people use the agency, according to Lisa McNeely, a training liaison for WorkOne.

“I can’t tell you what percentage, but with the unemployment rate as it is, there are a multitude of people that go through that had not gone through in the past,” she said.

McNeely said more than 14,000 people a month go through the WorkOne East site.

That means close to 700 people a day are in the facility, filling out forms, taking classes and using computers.

People’s excessive use of the computers causes the system to freeze and disrupts the filing process.

“I don’t like it when I have to come up here and then there’s a problem with the check or their computers are down,” said Travis Armes, a seasonal construction worker.

If a form doesn’t get sent correctly, no check or voucher will be received. That means some people don’t have the means to pay for rent and utilities.

“Delayed payments,” Armes said. “That’s the only problem I’ll probably have.”

Even with the assistance of WorkOne, people are still having trouble finding work. There are few open positions.

“Everybody’s kinda saying well, ‘We might be able to use people,’ but the way things are, you know, they’re kinda just hanging with what they have,” said Harry Turner, who used to do auto body work.

“I’ve never been in this position before,” he continued. “Never. Never in any kind of way.”

He went to WorkOne to turn in a list of places where he has looked for jobs. That’s part of the process to receive unemployment benefits.

In the state of Indiana, the minimum amount a person can receive weekly is $50, the maximum is $390. The amount received depends on how much money received depends on how much a person earned.

Until Turner finds a job, depending on unemployment checks from the state is something he will have to do.

“Well I’m pretty frustrated, but the thing of it is, you gotta deal with what’s out there, you know?” Turner said.

Assistance programs

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development has programs to help unemployed people.

“When you’re unemployed and you’re out there looking for work, it can be very hard,” said Valerie Kroeger, communications director.

Unemployment checks often do not cover all expenses, which include food, childcare and healthcare.

“A lot of people are unemployed for the first time in their life and they’re not really quite sure of the assistance programs that are available to them,” Kroeger said.

Assistance programs include Hoosier Healthwise, a state sponsored health program for children, and the Healthy Indiana Plan for adults. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program provides cash assistance to families with children under the age of 18. They also offer food stamps and childcare.

“We just do our best, and every day we try to help as many people as we possibly can,” Kroeger said.

However, some people fall through the cracks.

“I don’t qualify, actually, for unemployment,” said Amy Jackson, who was laid off from her job in the field of education.

Without a job or unemployment benefits, Jackson said she has little funds available.

“I have absolutely no money to pay for my mortgage, my utilities,” Jackson said, “and basically my parents pay everything for me until I can get a job.”

She benefits from food stamp assistance because she has a daughter, but does not qualify for TANF.

“I just need something full time to get insurance and get other things that I haven’t been able to get, especially being single,” Jackson said.

An uncertain future

Many people might be in the same situation as Jackson near the end of this year.

Congress made a decision in July of 2009 to extend unemployment benefits. The proposal is scheduled to end in November, which will leave people who have been unemployed for more than 6 months without any government assistance.

This will place even more Hoosiers in tough situations.

“We’re all in a bind right now,” Watkins said. “You gotta do what you gotta do.”

Should unemployment benefits be extended?

Vote Now!

hhtp://snappoll.com/poll/351820.php

Video-Indiana’s Unemployment

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/25978253/detail.html

http://www.wlky.com/r/25948793/detail.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/01/indiana-unemployment-offi_n_776971.html

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/01/131713002/millions-to-lose-unemployment-benefits

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/11/30/2010-11-30_protesters_march_against_unemployment_at_rockefeller_center_tree_lighting.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/us/04unemployed.html?ref=unemployment

Kekonna Watkins, Unemployed

Lisa McNeely, Training Liaison WorkOne

Travis Armes, Unemployed

Harry Turner, Unemployed

Valerie Kroeger, Program Director Dept. of Workforce Development

What changes have you made in your life because you’re unemployed?

Dec 08, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Hoosier Families Endure Deployment

By Rachel Elsts

Nearly 15,000 Hoosier military families are affected by deployment. These families face frequent moves, long parental absence and the threat of a potential death.

The Hansel Family

Jen Hansel fully understands how a deployment affects her family. Her husband Jeff,a soldier, was deployed to Iraq twice. During his first deployment the couple were expecting their first child. When he left for the second time he left behind his wife and his 2-year-old daughter Cayce.

While he was gone, Hansel had to wear many hats.

“It was hard because I had to be both mommy and daddy to her, and also to Jeff’s brother,” she said ” I had to raise him and her by myself, and work a full time job, and coach. Dinners, pay bills and be the chauffeur.”

It was difficult to maintain regular communication. In Iraq, Jeff was 8 hours ahead of his family. With Hansel’s full time job and other activities they had hard time staying connected.

In between the loneliness and waiting, Hansel found solace when she was able to talk to her husband.

“It was very, very hard,” Hansel said, ” What’s tomorrow going to be like? What’s going to happen next?”

The Sharp Family

Staff Sgt. Paul Sharp was deployed in Iraq for two years. He and his wife, Janalene, have two children. When he was first deployed their daughter Courtney was 10, their son Cameron was 4.

It’s been five years since he came home. But the threat of re-deployment is ever-present for active service members.

Janalene Sharp said Courtney was forced to mature quickly due to her husband’s deployment.Courtney said she dealt with issues her friends weren’t exposed to.

“People don’t understand what you are going through.” Courtney said, “They’re still there, but there is nobody there who really understands.”

While her husband was gone, Sharp learned to take each day as it comes. Otherwise it would be too hard to bear. She said, “We didn’t know what to expect, so everyday was a challenge.”

Hoosier families like the Hansals and the Sharps fully realize the commitment it takes to serve. This commitment not only affects the service member but each family member as well. The normal demands of daily life are heightened.

“I made it through the grace of God.” Janalene Sharp said, “Luckily we had a ton of friends and family support.”

The National Guard provides support with the Family Readiness Group. The group’s goal is to help the family adjust when a soldier is deployed, and to ease the transition when the soldier returns. The group offers various programs for each member of the family,especially the children.

Operation Military Kids partners with the Family Readiness Group to help children before, during and after a deployment. Studies have shown military kids to be at high risk for long-term emotional distress.

One study, conducted by New England Journal of Medicine and American Academy of Pediatrics, showed children of deployed parents to have higher rates of anxiety, depression and behavioral difficulties.

There are ways to counteract the stress of growing up in a military family. Monique Spells, youth program specialist for the National Guard, gives insight based on her own experiences and training.

“Best thing to do is to keep kids busy, to keep them involved in activities and to engage them in conversations with other kids,” Spells said

The group also provides care packages for children with a deployed parent. The packages include:

stuffed bear
journal
lanyard
backpack

This helps in the short-term. But it serves as a distraction from the struggle that is always present. When the children are old enough and able to understand why their parent was gone, they may become resentful.

Hansal’s daughter was only two when her dad was deployed. Yet, his experiences while overseas will have a lasting affect on her childhood.

“I think just being in a military household will affect her long term,” Hansal said, “There are things that are going to be going on, that she will be old enough to realize that this is all because of Daddy being in Iraq.”

Even with support, military families suffer. “I try not to think about it because it was two years of hell that we had to go through,” Janalene Sharp said.

More on the Sharp family

“Hoosier Soldier, Wife React To Bush’s Troops Plan”

A soldier from Indianapolis and his wife watch intently as President George W. Bush announces a plan for more troop…

Informational Material

U.S. Troops Deployed (click to enlarge)

Number of wounded troops in Iraq per state (click to enlarge)

U.S. Troops Abroad (click to enlarge)

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Dec 08, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Demand for new nurses drops

By Kyle Inskeep

For the first time in years, there’s a surplus of newly-trained nurses who are looking for jobs in Indiana and across the country.

The recent economic downturn drastically reduced the demand for new nurses nationwide.

“There’s a perception out there that nurses will always have a position, and in today’s economy that is somewhat challenged,” said Donna Boland, dean of the Indiana University School of Nursing.

The recession caused baby boomer nurses who were considering retirement to continue working. Other nurses have picked up additional hours to make ends meet in these troubling economic times. Because of this, hospitals are reporting low nursing staff turnover, which means no job vacancies.

Often the only open nursing positions are in specialized units. To work in these units, hospitals typically require a nurse to have five or more years of experience in a hospital setting.

“The shortage areas continue to be critical and emergency care,” said Susan McRoberts, chief nursing officer at St. Vincent Hospital. “Those are tough positions to get into as a new grad.

Janette Kollros, Recently licensed nurse

Recently-licensed nurses like Janette Kollros realize the advantage veteran nurses have.

“If you have experience, you can probably go pretty much anywhere,” Kollros said. “But if you don’t, they don’t want to look at you.”

Kollros has been looking for a full-time nursing position for more than nine months.

“I have applied to numerous hospitals … and I’ve had a total of five interviews,” Kollros said.

She graduated from Anderson University in August 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. At the time, nurses could go anywhere and find a job, Kollros said. Instead of entering the workforce, she decided to start a family.

Six years later, Kollros returned to the nursing profession and quickly discovered how the 2007 recession directly impacted the healthcare industry.

Joint Statement from the Tri-Council for Nursing on Recent Registered Nurse Supply and Demand Projections

Healthcare Industry Blindsided by Nursing Surplus

Healthcare professionals say that no one expected that there would be a surplus of registered nurses. Reports from professional nursing organizations predicted the exact opposite.

“I don’t think that any of us could foresee this current nursing surplus,” said Beth Harrison, human resources business consultant at St. Vincent Hospital. “All of the predictions for the last 10 years or so have shown that we would be in a shortage for the next 20-plus years.”

Fifteen percent of the open nursing positions at St. Vincent are entry-level jobs, according to Harrison. Just a year ago, there were more than twice as many open entry-level positions at the hospital.

Recent nursing school graduates like Kollros are surprised by the low number of entry-level nursing positions available.

“I went into nursing school because I like taking care of people,” Kollros said. “But in the back of my mind I knew I could go anywhere and find a job because that’s how it’s always been.”

Kollros now works at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis as a patient care technician. She describes her job as a glorified nursing assistant, a position that helps to pay some of her family’s bills until she can find a full-time nursing job.

Because of her situation, Kollros is deferring repayment of her student loans from nursing school.

“I have a family, a young family, and my husband and I do what we can,” Kollros said. “But it’s frustrating to know that we’re eventually going to have to pay more because of this.”

Faculty Shortage

Another crisis facing the healthcare industry is the shortage of qualified nursing faculty across the country.

Indiana nursing programs rejected close to 2,500 qualified applicants in 2008 due to a lack of full-time nursing faculty, according to a survey by the Indiana Nursing Workforce Development Coalition.

These numbers are troubling for many healthcare professionals.

“It breaks my heart to have all the applications for nursing school go untended,” St. Vincent’s McRoberts said.

Nursing education isn’t a popular specialty among nurses. Practicing nurses often make more money than nurses who teach at local colleges and universities.

A registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree makes close to $65,000 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. An assistant nursing professor with a master’s degree makes about $50,000 annually, while a professor with a doctoral degree can earn up to $74,000 a year.

Anne Thomas, Dean Uindy School of Nursing

“You have to really love teaching students, helping people launch their careers,” said Dr. Anne Thomas, dean of the University of Indianapolis School of Nursing. “Because the pay differential is going to be often times substantial.”

Thomas said that nursing programs across the country are beginning to focus more on pay equity between nurses in hospitals and those who are in the classroom.

She said she hopes that these programs can graduate more students, whom she believes are the key to preventing a possible recurrence of the nursing shortage once the recession ends.

Demand Expected to Return

Registered nurses who are older than 50 will soon be the largest segment of practicing nurses in the healthcare industry, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

When this group of nurses retires, they are expected to leave a large hole in the nursing workforce.

“We know we have a big glut of nurses nearing retirement age that will be interested in doing that,” McRoberts said. “So there will be jobs available very soon if you can just ride it out.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that by 2020 hospitals will need 800,000 additional nurses to continue operating effectively.

Despite the trouble some recent graduates are encountering finding nursing jobs, these figures are

the reason Boland still considers nursing to be one of the best career paths.

“If you look at the economics of today projected into tomorrow, we’re seeing that nursing is a good place if one is looking for job stability,” Boland said.

Exactly when the demand for nurses will return is hard to predict, but Kollros said she’ll be ready whenever the time comes.

“(The nursing surplus) will make me appreciate my job lot more than someone who graduated, passed their boards, and got a job,” she said. “I’ve had to work too hard so I will definitely appreciate it a lot more.”

Video: Indiana Nursing Shortage

Click here to see the full interview with Janette Kollros

Interested in learning more about the nursing surplus? Check out these links.

“Forecasts Show Healthcare Reform Will Contribute to Severe Nursing Shortage” http://madduxpress.com/2010/10/19/forecasts-show-healthcare-reform-will-contribute-to-severe-nursing-shortage-12825″Hawaii’s Nursing Surplus”

“Hawaii’s Nursing Shortage Turns to Nursing Shortage” http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13615287

Nursing 2000 Website http://nursing2000inc.org/

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Dec 07, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post