How would you like a job that no matter where you went, you were in demand? The pay is great. Bonuses are paid when you are hired. You do not have to work at the same place year after year. In fact, you can change the vocation landscape every quarter if you wish. What kind of job am I speaking of? Nursing.

There is such a nursing shortage, they can demand just that. Not just in the United States, but all over the world. Nursing vacancies have been increasing in the U.S. The situation isn't improving. As the US population continues to get older, the nursing shortage is expected to reach 800,000 in the next decade.

As reported in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2019-2029, an average of 175,900 RN positions will be available per year through 2029. It is said to be due to the large number of nurses nearing retirement age and also needing care, effectively tilting the balance by both decreasing the number of nurses as well as increasing the number of old aged patients. Furthermore, there has been a spike in nurses leaving the industry. The lack of sufficient staffing increases nurses' stress levels, impacting their job satisfaction, and has been driving many nurses to leave the profession. Nurses are projected to have greater employment opportunities than all other occupations from 2016 to 2026 with a striking 15% increase in vacancies.

The American Journal of Medical Quality states that, by 2030, a shortage of registered nurses will be widespread across the nation. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of seniors in the United States is expected to reach 82 million by 2030. A growing number of older adults means that geriatric care will become more prevalent, including services for those who have chronic diseases and comorbid conditions.

Now that nurses are in short supply, they can set their prices. Some are making as much as $60-70 per hour. Yes, these are the best of times … and the worst of times for nurses. Good, because they can practically name the terms of their employment. Bad because they are being overworked and our health care is suffering as a result of it. It is only a matter of time that someone’s life is lost as a result of this.

American hospitals are starting to look overseas to satisfy their need for nurses. As this is being written, legislation is being worked on to allow these immigrants a path to citizenship as they work in our hospitals.

Pulling nurses from overseas creates problems for those countries that are losing nurses. Good health care is as much a premium there as it is here. This is not the long-term solution to the problem.

Our government throws money at everything. Even in nursing education, they provide educational grants, loans, etc. Practicing nurses may come to mind when hearing the term nursing shortage. However, there is also a shortage of nurse educators. The nursing shortfall is exacerbated by a nationwide shortage of nursing faculty, which limits the number of nurses that can attend nursing programs. They simply do not have enough professors to teach new nurses. In fact, there were almost 30,000 qualified nursing students last year that could not get educated.

Is it the government’s responsibility to put up even more money to educate new nurses? That is not for me to answer, but it seems like some of these agencies and hospitals could do more to encourage and help nurses enter the workplace. After all, these same agencies are willing to pay upwards of $5,000 as a hiring bonus for qualified nurses.

This may not seem to be a problem to you … until you find yourself needing qualified healthcare.

The massive deficiency of registered nurses has been noticed by the government and independent social research foundations. In order to encourage younger generations to join the profession, several initiatives are being taken. The shortage of registered nurses and nurses educators are being addressed through several initiatives at the state level. State grants are being offered to nursing students to entice them to attend and pursue this profession. Schools are forming partnerships and looking for private funding with the aim of expanding student capacity, creating clinical placement sites, and supporting collaborative arrangements with other health care professionals. Several independent corporations and healthcare foundations are running multimedia campaigns promoting nursing careers and providing a positive image of nursing. Promotional videos, commercials, web advertisements, recruitment bulletins, brochures, etc are a few of the steps involved in the marketing process.

Because of the great growth of the global population, nursing and healthcare careers will not be threatened any time soon. Even though the shortage would mean an increased workload, the opportunities for growth in the field are endless. With an advancing profession, this is a great time to be a nurse.