| |
by
Karen Crone, RN
Opportunities for RNs in all clinical
fields are excellent. The current nursing shortage
is gaining in strength resulting in vast numbers
of vacancies. With the exploding growth of the
aging population, nursing supply simply cannot
keep up with the demand. New initiatives to recruit
young people to become nurses have been successful
in increasing enrollment at the universities;
however, the shortage is still mounting.
To attract new nurses and decrease attrition,
many healthcare facilities are offering monetary
incentives such as $5,000.00 sign on bonuses,
trips, longevity bonuses, awards programs and
paid tuitions. Some factors to consider if you
are thinking about a career in healthcare are:
- Nurses
rank in the top 10 occupations projected to
grow in need
-
Approximately 20% on new jobs in the next 7
years will be nursing related
-
Healthcare is ranked in the top 2 largest industries
and ranked the highest in 2004
-
Technology is extending life spans and survivals
rates at an unprecedented rate
-
Career opportunities are abundant in every state
in the country, and offer flexible scheduling,
as well as advancement opportunities
Earnings
According
to the US Department of Labor, annual earning
of registered nurses was $52,330.00 in May of
2004. High end wages were upwards of $65,000.00.
Staffing and medical employment agencies paid
the highest salaries. Average benefits for full
time registered nurses in hospitals included health
insurance; flex scheduling, child care, tuition
assistance and retirement saving programs.
Employers
Careers
for registered nurses are becoming far more diverse
than in years past. Nurses are turning to a variety
of employment relating to some form of healthcare
positions including:
- Traditional
hospital employment
-
Executive and management roles in hospitals
-
Sales, administrative and executive positions
in the health insurance industry
-
Home health and hospice care
-
Sales for medical equipment companies, pharmaceuticals,
and instruments
-
School Nursing
-
Occupational health nursing in companies, and
plants
-
Peer review
-
Academics
-
Research
-
Medical Legal Nurse Consultants
-
Case Reviews and Case management
-
Medical lifestyle needs specialists
-
Travel Nursing
-
Attorney Medical Consultants
- Alternative
health
Critical
Factors
It is estimated that by the year 2020,
there will be a shortage of over 400,000 nurses.
Couple this with the fact that 55% of the current
nurses are expected to retire between 2011 and
2020; the shortage will reach critical proportions.
The American Hospital Association released a report
in 2006 that there were 116,000 nursing vacancies
nationwide.
These factors, coupled with the variety
of employment opportunities makes nursing a fantastic
career choice!
|
|
