Meet the nurse hospitals won't hire (2024)

FAQs

Why do hospitals not hire enough nurses? ›

The “nursing shortage is real,” Tenet Healthcare executive chairman Ron Rittenmeyer said in a radio interview in early 2022, blaming it on nurses leaving staff positions for lucrative travel jobs, nurses contracting Covid-19, and not enough support for nursing education.

Getting a job in a hospital or clinic can be difficult due to the competitive nature of the industry. Most employers tend to prefer applicants with a higher level of education and more experience than a bachelor's degree alone.

When there is a surge in demand, it can be difficult to keep up with staffing needs. Budget constraints: Hospitals may have limited budgets and be unable to hire additional staff, even if they need them. This can be particularly challenging for public hospitals that rely on government funding.

The population is surviving longer, as a whole, causing an increased use of health services as well. Many disease processes that were once terminal are now survivable for the long term. Treating these long-term illnesses can strain the workforce. Like the populations they serve, the nursing workforce is also aging.

The Recruitment Conundrum

This gap is exacerbated by an aging nursing workforce, with many experienced nurses nearing retirement. Moreover, the limited capacity of nursing schools, due in part to a shortage of qualified faculty, restricts the number of new nurses entering the profession.

Applying in December perfectly positions you for the January hiring. For most hospitals, the new calendar year coincides with a new fiscal year. Brand new hiring budgets are put in place and there is a fresh source of funds to put towards expanding personnel and filling open positions.

What's the easiest job to get in a hospital? ›

The ICU is an extremely high-pressure environment. Intensive care nurses are frequently asked to make split-second decisions, and the actions they choose can make the difference between life and death.

The US is projected to face shortages in nursing staff in short and long terms, both at national and state levels, with the worst nursing shortage being seen in Georgia, California and Washington.

According to the Human Resources and Services Administration, the national supply of registered nurses could meet demand by 2035. The nursing shortage is projected to peak in 2027, easing over subsequent years. The nursing shortage may last significantly longer in states where demand is greater.

Medication Errors

When nurses are rushed, they are more likely to miss aspects they otherwise would have noticed. Despite a number of fail safes in hospitals, the final one is the nurse. When nurses are exhausted from yet another short-staffed shift, this fail safe can fail, and med errors can be devastating.

An Aging Population

And, the aging population will require more medical care. This means an increased demand for healthcare workers and support staff. The demographic shift has put a strain on the healthcare workforce, particularly in areas such as nursing and primary care.

Stress, burnout, and heavy workload. Nurses who are leaving the bedside aren't retirement age. Analysis from 2022 found that the total number of registered nurses decreased by more than 100,000 between 2020 and 2021 –the most significant observed drop in the past 40 years.

Caring professions like nursing are often regarded as 'women's work' and therefore are undervalued and underpaid or even unpaid. Fair pay is critical to recruiting and retaining the nursing profession, especially now that working conditions are increasingly difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Doctors are on the revenue-generating side; nurses are on the labor-cost side. Nurses come with room service, along with housekeeping services and meals. As nurses are labor costs that do not generate revenue, hospitals are incentivized to keep the number of nurses down and to pay them as little as possible.