The hot career that won't cool down

Good news, bad news.

For the health care industry, it's very good news. For the economy, not so much. According to the Wall Street Journal, the slowdown (OK, near-recession) is causing a shakeout in a lot of industries. But in health care, nurses have become a reverse economic indicator, according to the article, and nurses are very much returning to the workplace.

For several years, flexibility has been the watchword in nursing care. Because of the demands of the job, hospital administrators and nursing staff members have built in a lot of creative solutions to the problem of stretch a part-time workforce across a full-time need.

With the economy changing, however, more nurses are returning to work full-time, a trend we've seen before.

It's a great short-term shift in health care, and doesn't in the least obviate the need for more help in that industry. Health care staff shortages continue to be acute, and as Baby Boomers age, and require more care (even as Baby Boomer nurses begin to retire), the job opportunities will only expand from there.

The real question remains, however, whether hospitals are willing to make this profession more attractive (financially and otherwise) to fill all those needed positions. This is not something that can be outsourced, you know.

What changes have you seen in health care as a career? And what about its future?


Photo by supercapacity