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PROVO -- It was only a few years ago that Utah and the nation were facing a nursing shortage, but Brigham Young University's College of Nursing Dean Beth Cole says that changed when the economy dropped.
Cole says former nurses that kept their licenses have returned to the workforce as perhaps their husbands have lost their jobs or money has grown tight. More part-time nurses have turned to full-time work, and older nurses have delayed retirement. This, combined with a growing number of nursing programs that were created to offset the past nursing shortage, has led to a large pool of nurses.
In the past, nurses were being recruited out of school with signing bonuses, and the ability to pick and choose where to work and what kind of hours to work. Cole says times have changed as hospitals have more workers available.
"They are hiring, but they may not be hiring as much," she said. "They want nurses who are willing to stay in the institutions, so they are asking for a commitment for a year, which they didn't used to do."
Cole says this doesn't mean nursing is a bad career choice, and she thinks the shortage will likely come back as the economy picks up and as the baby boomers start seeking additional health care in their later years.
"There's going to be a tremendous need for nurses," said Cole.
Another item that could create more demand for nurses is the newly-passed health care legislation. Cole says a lot is unknown at this point how that will change the health care landscape.
As for her BYU nursing students, Cole says almost all of the students who graduated in December were able to find work, but she'll be anxious to see how the students graduating this spring do as they take their certification tests and then head out in the workforce.
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
