{"id":742,"date":"2010-12-07T23:10:17","date_gmt":"2010-12-08T04:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/?p=742"},"modified":"2011-12-08T18:04:01","modified_gmt":"2011-12-08T23:04:01","slug":"demand-for-new-nurses-drops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/2010\/12\/07\/demand-for-new-nurses-drops\/","title":{"rendered":"Demand for new nurses drops"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kyle Inskeep <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For the first time in years, there\u2019s a surplus of newly-trained nurses who are looking for jobs in Indiana and across the country.<\/p>\n

The recent economic downturn drastically reduced the demand for new nurses nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a perception out there that nurses will always have a position, and in today\u2019s economy that is somewhat challenged,\u201d said Donna Boland, dean of the Indiana University School of Nursing.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shortage areas continue to be critical and emergency care,\u201d said Susan McRoberts, chief nursing officer at St. Vincent Hospital. \u201cThose are tough positions to get into as a new grad.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Janette Kollros, Recently licensed nurse<\/p><\/div>\n

Recently-licensed nurses like Janette Kollros realize the advantage veteran nurses have.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have experience, you can probably go pretty much anywhere,\u201d Kollros said. “But if you don\u2019t, they don\u2019t want to look at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Kollros has been looking for a full-time nursing position for more than nine months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have applied to numerous hospitals \u2026 and I\u2019ve had a total of five interviews,\u201d Kollros said.<\/p>\n

She graduated from Anderson University in August 2004 with a bachelor\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Six years later, Kollros returned to the nursing profession and quickly discovered how the 2007 recession directly impacted the healthcare industry.<\/p>\n

Joint Statement from the Tri-Council for Nursing on Recent Registered Nurse Supply and Demand Projections<\/a><\/p>\n

Healthcare Industry Blindsided by Nursing Surplus<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Healthcare professionals say that no one expected that there would be a surplus of registered nurses. Reports from professional nursing organization<\/a>s predicted the exact opposite. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that any of us could foresee this current nursing surplus,\u201d said Beth Harrison, human resources business consultant at St. Vincent Hospital. \u201cAll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Recent nursing school graduates like Kollros are surprised by the low number of entry-level nursing positions available.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went into nursing school because I like taking care of people,\u201d Kollros said. \u201cBut in the back of my mind I knew I could go anywhere and find a job because that\u2019s how it\u2019s always been.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s bills until she can find a full-time nursing job.<\/p>\n

Because of her situation, Kollros is deferring repayment of her student loans from nursing school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a family, a young family, and my husband and I do what we can,\u201d Kollros said. \u201cBut it\u2019s frustrating to know that we\u2019re eventually going to have to pay more because of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faculty Shortage <\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/strong>Another crisis facing the healthcare industry is the shortage of qualified nursing faculty across the country. \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These numbers are troubling for many healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt breaks my heart to have all the applications for nursing school go untended,\u201d St. Vincent\u2019s McRoberts said.<\/p>\n

Nursing education isn\u2019t a popular specialty among nurses. Practicing nurses often make more money than nurses who teach at local colleges and universities.<\/p>\n

A registered nurse with a bachelor\u2019s degree makes close to $65,000 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. An assistant nursing professor with a master\u2019s degree makes about $50,000 annually, while a professor with a doctoral degree can earn up to $74,000 a year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Anne Thomas, Dean Uindy School of Nursing<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYou have to really love teaching students, helping people launch their careers,\u201d said Dr. Anne Thomas, dean of the University of Indianapolis School of Nursing. \u201cBecause the pay differential is going to be often times substantial.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Demand Expected to Return<\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When this group of nurses retires, they are expected to leave a large hole in the nursing workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we have a big glut of nurses nearing retirement age that will be interested in doing that,\u201d McRoberts said. \u201cSo there will be jobs available very soon if you can just ride it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/p>\n

Despite the trouble some recent graduates are encountering finding nursing jobs, these figures are<\/p>\n

the reason Boland \u00a0still considers nursing to be one of the best career paths.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at the economics of today projected into tomorrow, we\u2019re seeing that nursing is a good place if one is looking for job stability,\u201d Boland said.<\/p>\n

Exactly when the demand for nurses will return is hard to predict, but Kollros said she\u2019ll be ready whenever the time comes.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The nursing surplus) will\u00a0make me appreciate \u00a0my job\u00a0lot more than someone who graduated, passed their boards, and got\u00a0a job,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve had to work too\u00a0hard so I will definitely appreciate it a lot more.”<\/p>\n

Video: Indiana Nursing Shortage<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/strong> to see the full interview with Janette Kollros <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Interested in learning more about the nursing surplus? Check out these links.<\/h6>\n

“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” <\/a><\/p>\n

“Hawaii’s Nursing Shortage Turns to Nursing Shortage” http:\/\/www.hawaiinewsnow.com\/Global\/story.asp?S=13615287<\/a><\/p>\n

Nursing 2000 Website\u00a0http:\/\/nursing2000inc.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Share<\/a> this story on \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kyle Inskeep For the first time in years, there\u2019s 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. \u201cThere\u2019s a perception out there that nurses will always have a position, and in today\u2019s economy that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":274,"featured_media":984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11974],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=742"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1407,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742\/revisions\/1407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}