Shortage, Recession, and Widespread Hiring Freezes

2005:   Nursing shortage
2006:   Bigger nursing shortage
2007:   Nursing shortage grows bigger
2008:   Bear Stearns goes belly-up, Lehman steps in with a bail-out.
           Market tremors on Wall Street
           Government bails out AIG
           Stock Market takes a beating
           Government bails out Big Auto

2009:  Nursing shortage?
           Jobs in Healthcare?
           Murmurs of looming banking bail-outs…
           Have we bailed out the wrong industry?

In this post by Online Nursing Degrees, the author focuses on the lack of open nursing positions and attempts to evaluate whether there is no longer a nursing shortage or whether it is just a product of the current economy.

Nurses impact lives every day. But once in a while, a nurse comes along who touches the lives of the world, and not just her patients. These women went above and beyond for the field of nursing. They served in wars, broke down racial barriers, and campaigned for women’s rights. They have become role models for women everywhere, not just nurses. However, nurses can be especially proud to share a title with these ten ladies.

While there is no concrete way to determine "the" ten most influential nurses of all-time when looking at a profession where so many have had a monumental affect on the lives of others; this list by Nursing Link still does a great job of paying homage to a select ten who have certainly impacted the profession.

Travel nurses, view the entire list here.

Although most travel nursing companies require their RNs to fill out an online application, a well written and well formatted resume is still a great way to introduce yourself to your travel nursing recruiter. This will allow them to scan through your qualifications and quickly be able to evaluate which open travel nursing jobs may be right for you.

1. You get to visit cities you otherwise would probably not get to experience. Sure you may visit, but living there and visiting are two different things. For example, when you visit San Francisco, you see the major sights and attractions, you do the tourist thing, and you go home. When you actually get to live there for three months or more, you get to experience all of Northern California, and discover the places that locals frequent. These are the places that make San Francisco the hip spot it is.

2. You get to work in a variety of the best hospitals around the country. This helps you to enhance you skills, learn different methods of care, meet fellow nurses and doctors, and enhance your resume. Want to work at the nest childrens hospital in the country? You can do it. Want to work at the top cancer centers? You can do it. Anything you want to do, is available to you because of the seasonal need for nurses.

Visiting new locations and working in top hospitals are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the perks of a travel nursing job. In this post on JobHut.com, they go on to list eight more which involve exploring your freedom, interacting with family and devoping your career. Read the complete list here.

ANA is inviting nurses to submit theme ideas for National Nurses Week 2010. The theme for 2009 was “Nurses Building a Healthy America”. The following describes the guidelines to use for theme development.

Guidelines:

• Must be a positive statement about nurses/nursing
• Must be concise with no more than five words
• Must be representational of all nurses

Submissions will be accepted through August 14, 2009. Email your suggestions to catherine.wiafe@ana.org.

Thank you for your participation!

Historically, whenever presented with a new mobile opportunity it was probably for a minimum three months with the possibility to prolong it if the match between you and the hospital proved copacetic. On the other hand, if all you wanted was an assignment for that brief period, then that was OK, too, because another opportunity would be available somewhere else. That was the norm for years and part of the reason why nurses, therapists, and other healthcare practitioners opted for a life on the road. But there is little to call normal this year.

The above excerpt preludes the feature article from this month’s Healthcare Traveler magazine which addresses the changing scope of travel nursing assignments in 2009. Whereas the traditional travel nursing job was a standard 13-week commitment, followed by the ability to jet off to your next dream destination, the current state of the economy has forced nurses to open themselves up to shorter term and longer term assignments based on their personal schedules and goals. While most experts foresee the landscape shifting back towards more of a traditional model over the upcoming months, this article demonstrates how unconventional thinking can help you find the excitement and job security you’re looking for in today’s market.