How long will this last?

oh oh! i hope not...no more shortage!!!...sounds like what happened in England a few years back. There was a shortage...goverment paniced, they "imported" so many foreign nurse from phillipines and other comonwealth countries; established free education for health care professionals= too many nurses,few jobs

I think that the situation will improve as the stock market continues to rise and those ready to retire have gained substantially in their 401k/403b accounts. A lot of the current problems arise from those nurses who are older and choosing not to retire as planned because their accounts didn't support the lifestyle they wanted in retirement. For those of you who are concerned about getting a job after graduation realize though the job market is currently tight for newgrad nurses, it is comparitively easy to find a job as compared to some of the other majors out there -- such as BS Biology, or any liberal arts for that matter.

Employers hire when the see the costs of hiring a new person are less then the use of OT or the use of temporary workers. In addition they need to be assured that they will have access to the lines of credit they need as payroll costs typically occur before the income generated is paid by the insurance companies and the government.

So when you see banks lending to small and medium size business as opposed to making money in the carry trade, the job situation will begin to ease. My guess is that it will be sometime in 2102 to 2113 before this happens to a substantial degree.

Agree with the above post re older employees not retiring because of fear of not being able to maintain life style do to poor investment returns. Also poor economies bring experienced RNs back into the work force and working RNs increase their hours.

So a few more years of tough times, be flexible and be willing to travel or re locate if necessary.

Employers hire when the see the costs of hiring a new person are less then the use of OT or the use of temporary workers. In addition they need to be assured that they will have access to the lines of credit they need as payroll costs typically occur before the income generated is paid by the insurance companies and the government.

So when you see banks lending to small and medium size business as opposed to making money in the carry trade, the job situation will begin to ease. My guess is that it will be sometime in 2102 to 2113 before this happens to a substantial degree.

Agree with the above post re older employees not retiring because of fear of not being able to maintain life style do to poor investment returns. Also poor economies bring experienced RNs back into the work force and working RNs increase their hours.

So a few more years of tough times, be flexible and be willing to travel or re locate if necessary.

I think we all will be long gone by 2102 and 2113:lol2: I know what you mean

This has been a big question of mine when considering a change of careers. I would like to go into nursing and have two options -- a one year accelerated program or a two year regular BSN program. The two year program may end up being cheaper for me and I'm wondering if it makes sense in terms of how the job market will rebound (graduate in 2012). I know a few ADN students who graduated in May and just now found jobs -- jobs they dislike but are taking in order to get by. It's certainly something I'll continue to ponder. Maybe the admissions group will make it easy and I'll only get into one program!

I have a very different 'take' on all this. I believe that what we have now is what we will always have. The entire practice of health care has gone under a revolution in the past 15 years.

At least 75% of what were inpatient surgeries are now outpatient. Herniorraphy? Cholecystectomy? Even some bariatric procedures! Open hearts - out of the hospital in 3-4 days!

Only the sickest, most acute, most complicated get to stay in the hospital.

Need long-term IV meds? In the home! Even TPN w/lipids, in the home!

Yes, there maybe some places that will hire more nurses in a few years, but I think that the job market will be static for quite a while.