Nursing is not always recession-proof

oramar · Oct 9, 2008

Also, wages went up in the late 80s and early 90s. That had something to do with the end of the mid 80s shortage. However, when the glut came management was quick to take back the wage gains. I remember wage cuts and freezes all over. Then of course there were the layoffs. The mistreatment was so wide spread that within 5 years another cycle of shortage began. That is the way I remember anyway. See what other people remember.

CHATSDALE · Oct 9, 2008

thank you for that post

if you feel like you need to improve your education or skills make sure that you do as soon as possible..the more valuable you are to your employers the better you can negociate pay, hours benefits

everything that was said in op is true but sometimes we must stand up for ouselves and each other - the physical therapist got a law passed that foreign therapists could not be brought over if the unemployment for that speciality reached a certain level

we need that for nurses also..some of those import nurses are capable but some are just floated thru nusing school and working with them jeopardizes your license and endangers the patients

nads786 · Oct 9, 2008

interesting prespectives, i think we would all love to hear more about this issue from experienced nurses

Zookeeper3 · Oct 9, 2008

What we have currently is hiring freezes in the nursing support areas such as transporters, clinical engineering, pharmacy techs, no ICU sattelite pharmacy after 11pm. Even housekeeping is shorter and we now empty our trash and linnen bags or they would overflow.

So still the same number of bedside nurses, but we are taking on non nursing tasks. I hope it stops here, but I'm afraid we've just started.

brilliantbaby · Oct 9, 2008

Thanks for this post! This is certainly true in the Columbus Ohio area. There are very few hospital jobs for new grads in Columbus and census has been low. Definately due to the economy. I absolutely agree that the uninsured/underinsured are not going to come in until it gets BAD. Hopefully there will be a turnaround again, but in my area there are just too many nursing schools cranking out new grads!

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2008

I am a NICU nurse and sadly the worse the economy gets, the busier we are.

Katnip, RN · Oct 9, 2008

I agree with Commuter. I know that nursing jobs get tight when the economy sours. It makes sense. In addition to low census, etc., you will find nurses who lost their jobs in other industries due to downsizing going back to nursing.

I haven't been a nurse that long, but I've always noticed the trends.

DDRN4me · Oct 9, 2008

Commuter, you make several good points. I was hired for my first job as an LPN in 1981 immediately after graduation to answer a strike that occurred due to short staffing and high ratios at that hospital. In the last 20- something years I have seen the nursing workforce fluctuate according to the economy. Many nurses who have not HAD to work; but worked part time or per diem are now forced to find benefitted positions with more hours to support their families.

I wont repeat all that is said above; but yes; Nursing is not immune to the economy.

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2008

Contrary to popular belief, nursing is certainly NOT recession-proof.
During the recession of the early 1990s, some nurses would remain unemployed for 6 months or longer as they looked for jobs. This severe nursing glut continued well into the middle 1990s.
During recessions, patients avoid having elective surgeries because they are fearful of taking the time off work that is needed for full recovery, which results in low hospital census. When hospital census is low, less nurses are needed to keep the floor running.
More people become unemployed during these rough times and, as a result, lose their health insurance. Uninsured people are definitely not inclined to seek healthcare unless it is an absolute emergency. In addition, medical bills incurred by uninsured patients tend to go unpaid, which means less money for healthcare facilities.
Although it is an accurate statement that nursing jobs can never be outsourced, always remember that nurses can be "insourced" by recruiting foreign nurses to work at US hospitals. These nurses are less likely to whine about working evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays because they are earning more money in America than they ever would in their country of origin.
A massive plethora of part-time nurses accept full-time positions during recessions to keep their households afloat when a breadwinner spouse loses his/her job without notice. Plenty of retired nurses are reactivating their nursing licenses and returning to the nursing workforce due to the high costs of food and fuel, and the effects of rapidly dwindling retirement funds.
This is just some food for thought. While this phenomenon might not apply to your region, it is certainly happening in many places across the nation.

I think this post is right on the money.

Trauma Columnist · Oct 9, 2008

I graduated in 1992 with an LPN certificate and immediately went to a NH - no problems finding jobs. However, when I graduated with an ADN in 1994 - I continued to work as an LPN for six months before I could find an RN job!

I went back to school for more initials in 2002 and as an APN the market is getting looser in my area - central IL but when I graduated in 2006 the market was very tight and competitive.

I agree - the economy is awful and yes, nurses are taking hits too.

Thanks for the thought-provoking post.

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2008

I graduated in '93 and the shortage had dried up. Had no trouble finding a job in LTC however. Commuter is right on with her post. We all need to tighten our belts and prepare for leaner times.