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Nursing Shortage awaits Baby Boomers
[Dec
23, 2009] Baby boomers could lead to a
nursing shortage while felons receive care
in Chicago nursing homes.
CNNMoney reports: "Baby boomers are getting
older and will require more care than ever,
taxing an already strained nursing system.
America has had a nursing shortage for
years, said Peter Buerhaus, workforce
analyst at Vanderbilt University School of
Nursing in Nashville, Tenn. But by 2025, the
country will be facing a shortfall of
260,000 RNs, he said."
"That's because nursing schools are already
maxed out. ... The nursing profession has
benefited from the recession, which has
prompted new nurses to sign up for school
and older nurses to postpone retirement,
Buerhaus said.
Some
243,000 registered nurses entered or
re-entered the profession during the
recession that began in 2007, he said,
including many who were forced out of
retirement by financial difficulties.
But as the economy improves that kind of
growth is unlikely to continue. And experts
stress that there will be a nursing shortage
even if every nursing school is at capacity.
A lack of teaching staff is the biggest
hurdle to minting new RNs, according to
Cheryl Peterson, director of nursing
practice and policy for the American Nurses
Association. ... It's hard to recruit and
retain nursing instructors when they can
usually make more money working in a
hospital" (Smith, 12/22).
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