Studies: Down economy alleviating national nursing shortage

One silver lining from the economic recession may be that it has alleviated a decade-long national nursing shortage, according to recently published research (Source: “Nursing Shortage Eases With Recession's Help,” Wall Street Journal).

According to several studies published last Friday in the journal Health Affairs, nearly a quarter-million nurses entered the workforce in 2007 and 2008. The 18-percent increase is the largest two-year increase in at least 30 years, according to the research. 

Researchers point to nurses who had left the field who have taken nursing positions to compensate for a spouse’s loss of a job or health benefits.

"This surge of employment is basically knocking out the shortage," said Peter Buerhaus, the lead author on one of the  studies and a professor at Vanderbilt University's school of nursing.

Despite the uptick in the nursing workforce, the studies conclude that long-term projections still indicate that the nursing shortage will widen over the next decade as the economy improves and the current, aging work force retires.