RN's getting laid off???

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2008

No no- if you click on the tab for nursing students, it gives a list of all the forums with the most recent post from each thread displayed. They just happen to shorten the title ever so slightly. It made me chuckle

Here's the link: https://allnurses.com/forums/f196/

benegesserit · Nov 22, 2008

It'll be interesting to see if this post gets a disproportionate number of views! :)

caliotter3 · Nov 22, 2008

Well they must have finished getting laid because I just looked and didn't see it. I'm glad somebody got laid!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2008

Maybe the reason for some of the layoffs are that people who don't have health care insurance (I am one of them, I self pay) have to go to the hospital for whatever reason and can't pay for the bill. So if the hospitals are not getting the money from their patients then they would have to make some cuts? Makes some sense I guess. I dunno...just an opinion.

Don't forget about the elective surgeries, which are big business for hospitals, rehab centers, and skilled nursing facilities. When people stop electing to undergo these surgeries, facilities lose massive amounts of money.

When the country is in the middle of an economic recession, people stop undergoing elective surgeries because they want to keep working without interruption. These people who badly need elective surgical procedures are afraid to request the time off work that they need for full recovery, which leads to low hospital census. Of course, low census results in less nurses that are needed to keep the floor going. A reduced demand for nurses results in hiring freezes and layoffs.

Therefore, the middle-aged man avoids having that total knee replacement surgery with the hope that he can put it off for a few more years. The woman who lives in misery with large fibroid cysts avoids having an elective myomectomy or hysterectomy, hoping she can deal with the symptoms for a little longer. The toddler doesn't undergo a much-needed surgery to correct a birth defect because his parents cannot afford the $1,500 deductible for the hospital stay. The construction worker with the back problems avoids undergoing the laminectomy because his job and health insurance are insecure.

An innumerable number of people are becoming unemployed during these times and, as a result, lose their healthcare benefits. Uninsured and underinsured people are 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.

AtomicWoman · Nov 22, 2008

I absolutely think we will see more nurse layoffs, especially if the economy continues its downward slide. Two hospitals in Philly, as HiddenCat has said, have had hiring freezes in place since last Spring. Most hospitals run a deficit, and that will continue to get worse as more people who've lost their health insurance seek charity care at hospitals. Hospitals will be forced to lay off workers because they simply won't have the ability to pay them. As someone else mentioned, elective surgeries get postponed, bringing down the census.

I also think we will see more mergers and consolidations and downright shut-downs of hospitals. That trend has been in place for a long time.

Having said all that, I still plan on going to nursing school. :) Even knowing nursing is not "recession-proof". (Where did *that* idea get started, anyway?) Gotta take the long-term view and think about what I really want to do with my life, regardless of economic blips.

AtomicWoman · Nov 22, 2008

Just wanted to point out a couple of threads going on in the Nursing News section:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f195/ultimate-outsourcing-350036.html

https://allnurses.com/forums/f195/we-can-outsourced-elective-surgery-india-348682.html

The last one is really un-nerving, because an insurer is making it attractive for patients to go out of the country.

sunray12 · Nov 22, 2008

i absolutely think we will see more nurse layoffs, especially if the economy continues its downward slide. two hospitals in philly, as hiddencat has said, have had hiring freezes in place since last spring. most hospitals run a deficit, and that will continue to get worse as more people who've lost their health insurance seek charity care at hospitals. hospitals will be forced to lay off workers because they simply won't have the ability to pay them. as someone else mentioned, elective surgeries get postponed, bringing down the census.
i also think we will see more mergers and consolidations and downright shut-downs of hospitals. that trend has been in place for a long time.
having said all that, i still plan on going to nursing school. :) even knowing nursing is not "recession-proof". (where did *that* idea get started, anyway?) gotta take the long-term view and think about what i really want to do with my life, regardless of economic blips.

because of the idea that as long as they have people sometimes they'll get sick and need professional help?

i know many health care workers (including nurses) who have worked through several economic downturns - some are now retired from careers in health care. that cannot be said for many people who worked in non-healthcare fields.

nursing isn't going away just because the economy is in a down cycle. the opportunities to work in the exact hospital and department of choice under exact conditions and hours of choice at top dollar might not be as plentiful but the work will be there.

modelmama07 · Nov 23, 2008

I know times are hard right now, and I am sure some RNs are getting laid off but I'm sure it is not that many compared to the amount of blue-collar workers/jobs, etc that are working for these warehouses, auto-manufacturers, and etc. (although somemany white-collar workers just got laid off as well). But with 95% of the articles I read on the economy and job market almost all of them note that one of the TOP 5 Recession Proof Jobs is Healthcare!!!! So even though we may see work cut down at different hospitals their are still many jobs available for those in our field. These days you just can't be too picky. I am still going to pursue nursing because to me, it is one of THE MOST stable careers in the US in my opinion. I hope under the leadership of Barack Obama, things will get better for everyone across our country no matter what job you work!! :wink2:

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Nov 23, 2008

76726.1 http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/11/10/daily48.html?q=hospital%20layoffs

the medical center of central georgia in macon slashed more than 200 jobs-or 4 percent of its workforce, according to published reports. closer to home, saint joseph's hospital of atlanta inc. said it will lower the ax on 50 jobs-or about 2.5 percent of its workforce. saint joseph's cuts, which include about 30 layoffs, were blamed on a slumping economy.

long island college hospital laid off 100 employees this week in the first wave of what will likely be a much-larger downsizing to save the tottering hospital from closure.

employees arrived at the 150-year-old medical center on monday to find an e-mail from lich's parent company, continuum health partners, announcing that 100 people would lose their jobs and another 50 currently open positions would be eliminated. continuum claimed that the current reduction was only seven percent of the workforce.

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/42/31_42_mm_lich_cuts.html

methodist le bonheur healthcare inc. is laying off 99 employees in "unprecedented times."

http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/11/17/daily33.html

ada hospital announces layoffs

posted 12:01 pm thu october 30, 2008

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/1008/565749.html

promedica to lay off 30 workers at 2 hospitals

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20081122/news32/811220380

[color=#0000cc]layoff of public health nurses in lawrence jeopardizes public ...

massachusetts nurses association, professional organization for the promotion and rights of massachusetts nurses in the workplace.

[color=#0000cc]despite increasing workload, more schools lay off nurses - related ...despite increasing workload, more schools lay off nurses.

[color=#0000cc]nurses at cape cod hospital up in arms over staffing cutbacks ...nurses at cape cod hospital are mobilizing to oppose the recently announced layoff of more than 60 registered nurses at the hospital at a time when nurse ...

www.massnurses.org/news/2006/02/cape_cod2.htm - 32k - [color=#7777cc]cached - [color=#7777cc]similar pages

cambridge health alliance, a key part of the boston area's healthcare network, is warning that it may have to lay off hundreds of workers and consolidate operations because of deep cuts in state funding.

the healthcare network - which includes hospitals in cambridge, somerville, and everett, as well as 20 community health centers - serves a disproportionately large share of the area's poor. it is operating on a $22 million deficit budget this year.