There have been rumors and mention of the easing of the Nursing shortage. There have been indicators. Having had the distinction of taking a single statistics course three times at University, I am now oddly comfortable with tables with lines and graphs. I have not seen these graphs. Nor do I believe we are anywhere near the end of a Nursing Shortage. Just a respite.
Signs of a troubled economy are everywhere. My home state of Florida failed to have a population growth last year! According to USA today for the first time since the end of World War II more people moved out of Florida than moved in. Perhaps it was all too easy in the country’s fourth largest state famous for sunshine and low cost living.
Suddenly I am being called by Graduate Nurses from other states. They are not yet licensed in their home state but seem all too aware that there is a shortage of RN jobs and are very vocal about it.
A recession affects the Nursing job market in a variety of ways. In the early 2000’s there was an increase in national jobless rates. At the same time Nursing vacancies were dropping dramatically bringing about thoughts of a temporary end to the Nursing shortage. There was not a sudden increase in graduates. RNs were returning to the work force or going from part time to full time to support their families and provide health care benefits. Basic supply and demand, I was studying economics at that very same University. Nursing has always allowed such flexibility with scheduling and returning to the work force. Variety in job function and hours is part of what makes Nursing attractive. As national unemployment rates eased around 2005 the Nursing vacancy rates again began to climb. Those second income Nurses went back to part time jobs or out of healthcare all together.
Health Care needs and an aging population are a fact in America. U.S. Health care continues to grow in our recession.
“On July 2, 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the healthcare sector of the economy is continuing to grow, despite significant job losses in nearly all major industries. Hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other ambulatory care settings added 21,000 new jobs in June 2009, a month when 467,000 jobs were eliminated across the country. As the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, RNs likely will be recruited to fill many of these new positions. In September 2009, the BLS confirmed that 544,000 jobs have been added in the healthcare sector since the recession began.”
For all you Graduate Nurses calling me from Ohio or California please don’t despair. You have chosen one of the most rewarding professions there are, Nursing.
In the mean time, redo your resume for clarity, be concise and loose those typos. Rethink your interview image, dress appropriately. A general rule is to wear what you would wear on the job, so clean pressed scrubs are in order or wow them in business attire. Research behavioral based interview techniques, more and more Directors rely on this type of interview. Just put your best foot forward. Wearing a tank top with a cup of coffee in your hand is no way to show up for an interview. That candidate did not get offered a refill or a job. In this short interim RNs need to be a bit more competitive, a bit more polished as there are others looking at that same job. Good Luck!
Loney B Moses RN
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm
http://www.flcenterfornursing.org/workforce/researchreports.cfm
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/556417_5
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-08-31-florida_N.htm
Loney B Moses RN
RN Recruitment
HCA Pasco Hernando
