Is there really a decline in nurse demands? How many times do we have to ask this ourselves until it sinks into our thoughts that there is actually none. In fact, the same trend and the same reason/factors why there is high demand for nurses in the past is still present.
What are the factors that dictates that there is a demand for nurses? According to American Association of College of Nursing (AACN), our country is expected to have shortage in the number of nurses as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows (AAC, http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media/factsheets/nursingshortage.htm). Indicators for the demand is still around.
1. Hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other ambulatory care settings added 37,000 new jobs in March 2011, the biggest monthly increase recorded by any employment sector.
2. 80% of nurses are up for doctorate degrees and only 50% of are prepared to join the pool of registered nurses.
3. Agencies have indirectly encouraged slowing or trimming down of the production of RNs.
4. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected that more than 581,500 new RN positions will be created through 2018, which would increase the size of the RN workforce by 22%.
Recession has left a lot of lingering issues and fears. It hurt citizen's expenditures indeed. However, healthcare and other expenses related to it is a need and must be set aside other spending. Nursing profession is still on its league. Care industry is not dead, and is still growing.
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