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Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage



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Jun 28, 2009 01:32 PM

Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage

by DanainOrlando Platinum Member

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/...e-not-so-fast/

The frustrating thing is that it seems to me that the hospitals are just not hiring enough nurses; I think the nursing shortage is still there. This is purely anecdotal, but my son was hospitalized 3 times in the past year for diabetes related issues, and the hospitals seemed way understaffed on nurses. As I mentioned in one thread, I saw one nurse work for 24 hours straight.

What are you all seeing at your hospitals?


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27 Comments
No. 1
from pH7.40
Old Jun 28, 2009, 04:53 PM

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
The hospitals intentionally short staff as a cost cutting measure. I wish patient's families would complain to administration.
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No. 2
Old Jun 28, 2009, 06:48 PM

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
A. I supervise prn at the hospital I work and we have a "staffing grid." We are not allowed a CNA until we have 7 patients (our m/s is very tiny). We are required to have 2 RN's even if we only have 1 pt on the floor though- it just means the RN has to do "aid work" which I think is good for us sometimes.

B. We will not be getting our usual 3% cost of living raise this year, but our hospital pays better then most of the rural hospitals in this area.

C. We bought into a "hospital sponsered insurance" which means we pay to use our hospital and its clinics and if we go elsewhere only a tiny portion is covered. We dropped using "Big Insurance" due to the cost. Its great unless we have to get a specialist....then were in deep doodoo.

D. We are not allowed to use staffing agency nurses now. When I started we used them all the time to fill in "holes" or when we had a call-in. Now we are to use our PRN pool only and if we are unable to find coverage the supervisor/managers have to work it.

E. People are not quitting as quickley as they once were (this is a good thing) Nurses used to rotate in and out, but it seems turnover has dropped considerably---Maybe we've improved??? but I think mostly nurses are just scared to be the low-man on the tottem pole in a new facility.

F. We get a $6.00/hr bonus for coming in on our day off to work if a shortage does occur. They have made new rules for this bonus which makes it harder to get, but not unfair.
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No. 3
Old Jun 28, 2009, 10:18 PM

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
I am not seeing anything different. I experienced purposeful short-staffing before the recession and there's no difference now.
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No. 4
from Woodenpug
Old Jun 29, 2009, 02:58 AM
Updated Jun 29, 2009 at 03:27 AM by Woodenpug

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
Buerhaus, P. I., Auerbach, D. I., & Staiger, D. O. (2009). The Recent Surge In Nurse Employment: Causes And Implications. Health Affairs (Project Hope). doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.4.w657.
The abstract from Pub med:
Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies, Institute for Medicine and Public Health, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Registered nurse (RN) employment has increased during the current recession, and we may soon see an end to the decade-long nurse shortage. This would give hospitals welcome relief and an opportunity to strengthen the nurse workforce by addressing issues associated with an increasingly older and foreign-born workforce. The recent increase in employment is also improving projections of the future supply of RNs, yet large shortages are still expected in the next decade. Until nursing education capacity is increased, future imbalances in the nurse labor market will be unavoidable. [Health Affairs 28, no. 4 (2009): w657-w668 (published online 12 June 2009; 10.1377/hlthaff.28.4 .w657)].



The article referenced by the press release does not seem to actually say the nursing shortage is over, but rather may be improving.
As most above seem to be saying, even if the nursing shortage ended, hospitals would simply find another reason for not hiring adequate staff.
If RN staffing ratios are mandated, support staff will be reduced making the net effect zero.
Safe patient staffing is going to be a long and difficult battle. Increasing the RN workforce seems not to be an effective strategy.
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No. 5
from DolceVita
Old Jun 29, 2009, 09:37 AM

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
My understanding is that, generally, "the shortage" really applied to LTC facilities and the like. I have read some posters on this site who work in LTC saying that they still have a light shortage -- but it is more a problem of LTC not being attractive to new grads.

For some reason this article specifically addressed "hospital nurses" and "hospitals" but I wonder if that is just poor writing.

As for the poster that saw a nurse work 24hrs -- I cannot believe that is allowed. That is terrible, physically, for the nurse involved. If I had been a patient I would have sent a letter to the CEO stating how disgusted I was.

Of course they would probably blame the nurse.
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No. 6
Old Jun 29, 2009, 03:33 PM

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
That was me talking about the nurse working 24 hours. My son had a seizure because his blood sugar went too low. We went to the hospital first thing in the morning. I was regularly going out to the nurse's station to check on various things - when the pediatric neurologist was coming, when my son's regular pediatric endocrinologist was coming, etc. - and I kept seeing the same nurse there. For 24 hours. My brain does not function that long! I really don't like the idea of someone having to make life and death decisions on zero sleep.

That was at Arnold Palmer Hospital. Generally a fabulous hospital, but like everyone else I am sure they are pinched financially.

I'm looking at various school options this coming August - LPN, paramedic, etc. - and I'm depressed about the thought of coming out of school and finding that even though nurses are needed they're not being hired. However, this is something I've always wanted to do, so if I have to go outside of Orlando for a job or work in a less desirable facility for the first few years, I'll do it.
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No. 7
from Agrippa
Old Jun 29, 2009, 09:53 PM

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
Its sad. Hospitals see nurses as cost centers. They still have a shortage and need nurses but choose not to spend money to hire. The horrible patient/nurse ratio will get worse, and at the end of the day the ones that will ultimately suffer will be patients.

Management is just pushing the limit and its only a matter of time until something catastrophic happens due to lack of nurses. Then they will blame the nurses who were there at the time. This is why nurses need strong unions so they are not put into such tenuous circumstances.
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No. 8
from nursenow
Old Jun 30, 2009, 12:54 PM

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
I keep looking but I still haven't been able to find that nursing shortage everyone keeps talking about. Also a nurse working 24 hours straight? I live in california and I am sure the state would looove to catch a facility allowing that. I have never seen or heard of it until now.
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No. 9
Old Jun 30, 2009, 01:50 PM

Default Re: Study on recession's effect on nursing shortage
I think Florida has less regulation for their nurses than California does. I'm kind of at a loss right now; I really want to go into nursing but the more research that I'm doing, the more it seems like nursing has become as tough to break into as any other field right now. Even a year ago, big bonuses were being offered to lure nurses, people were paying for nurses' continuing ed, etc.

Now I'm afraid that a flood of new nurses will be hitting the job market over the next few years and it will be really difficult for recent graduates to get a job.
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