The Ups & Downs Of The Nursing Industry
Are you considering a career in nursing? If you want to work in the nursing industry you must thoroughly be aware of the highs and lows associated with a career in the nursing field.
The Role of Nurses
Nurses are an integral part of the health care industry which range from services in hospitals and other health care organizations to services rendered inside the home. Although nursing is highest and fastest growing occupation in the United States, nurses still encounter many challenges. The flourishing nursing field is experiencing a shortage which is expected to continue for the next decade or so despite available nursing positions.
Current State of Nursing Industry
Let’s take a look at the current state of nursing. Registered nurses are ranked the top most career for ultimate job growth in the United States until the year 2020. A register nurse makes an average of $41,374 to $80,024 a year.
Despite the very attractive salary of a registered nurse there is still a widespread nursing shortage. The drastic shortage of nurses is linked to baby boomers reaching an age where medical assistance is required on a more frequent basis. This nursing shortage is expected to last until 2030. California, Florida, and New York have the highest number of available nursing positions.
Nursing Industry Trends and Demand
By 2020, the nurse shortage is expected to be between 800,000 and 1,000,000 which is astounding. The south and the west will be hit the hardest as a result of these shortages. As baby boomers get older and begin to retire more nurses need to be recruited in order to supplement the baby boomer generation of nurses leaving the medical field. By 2020, approximately 400,000 nurses will need to be recruited just to fill the vacancies from the baby boomers that are retiring.
As a result of the vast number of available nursing positions more people are applying for nursing school. Even the number of male nurses has increased. In fact, the percentage of male nurses has nearly triples over the past 30 years. The rate of non-Caucasian registered nurses has increased from 20% to 25% in the last 10 years. About half of the people that enroll in nursing school programs come from a non-nursing background.
Due to such shortages, nurses need to be very much aware of contact hours need for their license renewal and be mindful not to extend themselves too much on the job. Burn out is extremely common among nurses that feel overloaded with work and not appreciated. This can be very costly for a health care organization. In fact, replacing a nurse costs about $65,000 on top of the previous nurse’s salary. Although the country already needs more nurses, it will soon need a lot more because of the failure to retain the nursing staff.