SAN FRANCISCO, (KCBS) -- As a generation of nurses retires and baby boomers become senior citizens, fears are growing that the nursing field will be left short-handed.
But the recession is becoming good news for the industry.
Many nurses are finding their retirement nest eggs aren't worth what they once were. Joanne Spetz, an associate professor at U.C.S.F., has been studying the issue. She found some other factors that are also slowing the need. For one, there are a lot of new nursing grads, especially in Northern California which has seen an expansion of nursing programs.
"So the competition is tougher for the jobs. We also know that a lot of nurses who are working now, especially if their spouses were in the industries hard-hit by the recession, are choosing to add another shift; they work a little more per diem so that helps fill it up," Spetz said. "And then hospitals are seeing fewer patients because more people are losing their health insurance."
Put it all together and your have a smaller demand for nurses...for now. "We know that this is a temporary lull, and it's a good chance for everybody to take their breath," Spetz warned, "but we can't let up at all on the effort to make sure we have enough nurses in the long term."
And if President Obama is successful in passing health care reform that provides everyone with insurance, look for an avalanche of new patients into the U.S. health care system.
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