Reply With QuoteShortage, I am still not so sure there was, is, or will be one.
This is just from Brevard County, too. Any feedback, thoughts or comments? http://www.floridatoday.com/article/...309/1003/rss03
Brevard County's hospitals and nursing schools hope to minimize the impact of a severe nursing shortage that could arise in Florida over the next 15 years due to health care reform and the increased medical needs of millions of baby boomers.
By 2025, according to the semi-annual forecast from the Florida Center for Nursing, there could be a shortage of more than 50,000 registered nurses and 12,600 licensed practical nurses in the Sunshine State, devastating nursing homes and hospices.
"We have been keeping very much abreast of what would be the impact," Edwin Loftin, vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer with Parrish Medical Center, said.
Brevard hospitals provide necessary clinical training for student nurses, whom they often hire as graduates.
"We have to create more partnerships with education with our communities over the next five years to meet those needs," Loftin said.
The recent recession helped reduce a chronic nursing shortage as retired nurses re-entered the workforce and as nurses who had entered other fields came back to nursing after losing jobs due to the recession.
"The nursing shortage was somewhat self-resolved," Loftin said.
However, between 2015 and 2020 baby boomer nurses are expected to begin to retire in large numbers.
"That's where the research shows we're going to have some shortages," Loftin said.
Health care reform, which as written would bring millions of more people into contact with nurses and medical providers, will also tax the system. But schools can help, according to the report. If the number of new graduate nurses increases by five percent each year for six years, the 2025 shortfall of registered nurses falls to 31,000.
Kaiser University's Melbourne branch, which opened in 2004, enrolls more than 70 student nurses each year. Preparing for the coming shortage includes making sure all of them complete their degrees. And nursing schools like Kaiser will face another challenge -- hanging on to experienced faculty.
"We're in a holding pattern, but by 2025 we're going to be in a major shortage and that's because people like me" -- a self-described baby boomer -- "are going to want to be retired," said Karen Runk, associate dean of academic affairs at Kaiser in Melbourne and a registered nurse.
The shortage could mean some benefits to nursing students.
The 144 nursing students who graduate annually from Brevard Community College already have a 95 to 100 percent placement rate, so the looming shortage could mean an increase in starting pay, which is now around $50,000 per year.
"That will make it easier for us to just go right into it," BCC nursing student Shayla Fisher, 28, of Melbourne said. She will enter the job market in 2012 and expects to find work quickly.
"It means more options for us," she said. "I know they're always in need of nurses."
Some 10 to 15 percent of nursing students are male, who also realize the shortage will increase demand in their profession.
"I think it'll help me get a job," said BCC nursing student Jake Shearer, 20, who represents the up to 15 percent of nursing students who are male. "I guess it could help me get a better salary."
Yet even with plans to increase enrollment, nursing schools and hospitals might have to work extra hard to meet the future demand for nurses. When the economy is booming, nurses often parlay their training and experience into other careers.
"You can make more money in other fields," said Linda Miedema, BCC associate vice president for planning and assessment.
While the pay for nursing is good, the job has extreme pressures that force many to leave the field, a substantial number within the first year.
"It's shift work, weekend work and holiday work," said Miedema, who worked 20 years as a nurse.
"We are very well-positioned to be able to increase the numbers as the demand increases," Miedema said. "But there are any number of opportunities that once you become a nurse you can move into."
Shortage, I am still not so sure there was, is, or will be one.
ER-RN
It is alright to get tired, but, never give up."
Proud Grancama!
Is it me, or does there seem to be isolated pockets of 'nursing shortages'? I would wonder why.
I know I read somewhere (and may have posted) that students are having a hard time finding jobs. *Sigh*
It's a pattern that seems to wax and wane. I agree with you Cougarnurse. Here is northern cali, it is very very difficult for new grads to get a job. Even seasoned nurses are having to go outside their specialties when they look for new opportunities. Now, I could work in the ED, but I am too old and weary...and have a mobility issue with arthritis in my feet. But a new grad would not get their foot in the door. Our local schools are churning out brand new nurses at a rapid rate, but the seasoned nurses are competing for those jobs.Originally Posted by cougarnurse
Furthermore, I am going to be vying for a faculty position here in about two years and there is actually a glut of professors in Northern Cali. Like with nurses...there is a projected and predicted shortage coming up when older profs retire...but they are lasting into their 70s! Used to be a PhD in nursing was an automatice tenured position. Not anymore baby!
Steph R. RN, MS
You can always look for a job out this way! We can discuss this later when you get your PHD, or close to it!
Yes, you have heard and read, no doubt, about this. There are many new grads and experienced nurses who can testify.
Moreover, why is there a shortage? Because the economy dictates that no one should hire until bankers will lend and loan before this problem arose. Nurses are out there therefore there is not a shortage. Employers aren't hiring because of what I have already state.
Remember health care is more of a business than anything else, first.
ER-RN
It is alright to get tired, but, never give up."
Proud Grancama!
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