[Anxious Patient]

This is from the Wall Street Journal Health blog, May 7, 2008

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/05/...d/?mod=WSJBlog

"When money is tight many nurses with flexible schedules take on extra shifts, moving from part-time to full-time. Other nurses are postponing retirement or returning to the work force after a hiatus, the WSJ reports.

But the improvement in staffing may last only until the economy picks up. Over the long haul, the nursing shortage is expected to resume and eventually worsen. By 2025, there could be a shortage of nearly 500,000 nurses, representing a vacancy rate of 40% or higher...

a blog reader responds:

The nursing shortage is growing due to several factors: the abysmal practice conditions endured by clinical nurses, the fundamental split of power that divides nursing administrators from clinical nurses and which keeps nurses under the thumbs of employers, the dwindling supply of nursing faculty due to insufficient salaries and abysmal work conditions..."

You can read more ominous nursing views from this reader here:

http://revolutionredux.wordpress.com...n-bad-is-good/

This is depressing reading for patients too.

[oramar]

"but the improvement...will only last till the economy picks up", does anyone realize how damning that statement happens to be? In other words it is a dirty job that 1/3 to 2/3 of the people that do it refuse to do except when it means they will starve or go broke if they don't.

[longjourneydream]

Yes indeed,

I am one of those nurses working over 50 hours a week.

I have been doing it since the middle of Febuary, and I'll tell you I feel It...

I was one of those who needed the experience of being a new grad from the ER to learn then return after one year, back the the ED.


Learning new skills is not the only thing I have encountered; I have learned to identify burn out, and I am there.

The money is wonderful, but it is not every thing! I work the day shift and have been thinking of maybe going nights...

I do not know if that would be the solution, but I do feel that this nursing shortage has alot to do with it.

They pay us a few dollars, over our base rate then time and a half over 40 hours. I usually go over 14-16 hours overtime in one weeks time, and never get 8 hours of sleep a night, maybe an average of 4.5-5 hours of sleep a night!! Many times I'll work 3 in a row have one day off then have to return to work.


I think something is wrong with this picture

[oramar]

Originally Posted by longjourneydream

Yes indeed,



Learning new skills is not the only thing I have encountered; I have learned to identify burn out, and I am there.


:

It has occured to me that before to long a lot of returned nurses will be nurses who left again.

[kittyn]

Thanks for the article, Anxious Patient!

I can really use this for an extra credit report for my macro-economics class!

[towntalker]

this is not unusual, sahm/d will come back into the workplace in all fields if their spouse loses a job this is just plain economic sense
hopefully some of these will decide to stay around for awhile at least parttime

[Diary/Dairy]

I know I am glad to be a nurse and to have permanent employment available - maybe not ideal situations. In these uncertain economic times, I am glad to have this available. My mom also works a lot of OT. I prefer not to work more than 1 extra day every other week, and have the luxury of being able to do that.

[canoehead]

I commented- let's let them know where we stand.