Baby boomer will retire so more healthcare workers are needed???

loriangel14, RN · Jul 7, 2016

They told us that when I started school 12 years ago. There are less jobs now than when I graduated. Many nurses are working much longer than expected due to the economy. Plus employers are simply not filling positions when nurses retire.

dishes, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2016

The impending nursing shortage crisis was originally based on studies done in the late 1990's and early 2000's in which large numbers of disillusioned baby boomer nurses claimed they planned to retire early. The mass retirement was projected to take place between the mid to late 2000's. Based on the studies, more funding was put into nursing school programs in order to produce more nurses. The studies and the plans did not take into account that people do not retire early when the economy is in a recession and that nursing shortage/surplus cycles are impacted by the economy and political parties' responses to a deficit economies. The nursing schools and government bodies continue to keep touting the nursing shortage mantra because they want to be prepared for when they baby boomers eventually do retire, but since the baby boomers are not going to retire all at once and patients length of stay in hospitals is shorter, there isn't really going to be a massive shortage in hospitals. There might not be a shortage in homecare or nursing homes either because they might staff with large numbers of PSWs in those areas.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 7, 2016

I agree with dishes' history lesson ... but I disagree on her projections for the future. We baby-boomer ARE growing older and we WILL eventually retire. We probably won't all quit the same day, or even the same year. But we will decrease our work hours and eventually fully retire and yes, even die. So there may not be a sudden surge of available positions, but rather a steady pressure in the job market for replacements.

We are already seeing the tide begin to turn -- and a lot of hospitals are hiring more this year than they have in recent years. Part of the problem for new grads though is that you can't replace a nurse with 45 years of experience with a new grad from one of the "lower quality schools" that have opened up in the last 10 years in the hopes of making money from the impending nursing shortage. While hospitals are hiring more, they are being picky about credentials, not wanting to waste money on "high-risk hires" or invest a lot of money in training new staff who will extensive orientation and experience time before they can handle a full load.

A "new normal" will take a while to be established.

Fiona59 · Jul 7, 2016

Not seein what Ilg has described in my part of Canada.

We have several pension collecting members of UNA turning up as casuals and collecting a paycheque. Nurses who came as second career nurses wnpnt be retiring early as they will never factor 85, if I work until 65 with my years of service my factor would be 79. I will barely physically last until age 62.

we haven't had a surge in the number of training places. We have had the province attempt to juggle and reduce staff. One recent grad told me she is going for an MBA as the future I her classes eyes is for RNs to be further reduced at the bedside

dishes, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2016

I think the increased entry education levels; RNs(BSNs), PNs(2 year diplomas), PSWs(8 month diplomas), makes it easier and more economical for employers to replace RN vacancies with PNs and PN vacancies with PSWs and still be able to provide safe patient care.

loriangel14, RN · Jul 7, 2016

Yes Fiona, Canadian hospitals are certainly not hiring more now, much less actually.

dishes, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2016

a new grad from one of the "lower quality schools" that have opened up in the last 10 years in the hopes of making money from the impending nursing shortage. While hospitals are hiring more, they are being picky about credentials, not wanting to waste money on "high-risk hires" or invest a lot of money in training new staff who will extensive orientation and experience time before they can handle a full load.

I think the lower quality schools that have cropped up in the US, has not been seen in Canada, because most of Canada's undergrad programs are only available in public comunity colleges or universities, not private schools. The education bar has been raised, not lowered, as entry to practice education has increased over past fifteen years.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2016

Theoretically, yes, the population is aging and more health care workers are needed.

However, budget cuts have continued for almost the last 10 years and will likely remain. Health care is an expense, not the investment that it should be. Retired nurses are often not replaced.

The job market is very different in the US. There are fewer options for nursing education and employers continue to eliminate positions where they can.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 8, 2016

I apologize if I offended anyone with my post that is more about the US job market. Thank you all for being nice about it. The "lesser qualilty schools" issue is not the big problem in Canada that it is in the US .... but I was under the impression that the populations demographics were similar. If that is true, then there should be some of the same pressure on the job market as the baby boom ages. However, I agree that it will probably play out differently in Canada.

Again, I apologize. When I read allnurses, I go under the "what's new" menu item ... I don't select specific forums and hadn't noticed that the OP was referring specifically to the Canadian job market.

dishes, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2016

No offense was taken by me llg, it is good to understand how both of our countries are planning health professionals workforce capacity and combining it with meeting the needs of their aging populations. I just hope both countries we will have the right number and the right mix of healthcare professionals when the baby boomers are retired.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2016

No offense taken by me either, llg and you are welcome to post here.

The population demographics are similar in Canada, yet we continue to experience job cuts.