Overall, the Midwest has not been hit as hard by the nursing shortage as some other parts of the country. However, recent studies from Michigan and Illinois show problems looming on the horizon.
Michigan. In 2007, for the fourth consecutive year, the Michigan Center for Nursing surveyed nurses who were renewing their license. The survey found that about 27% of active RNs in this license-renewal group were age 55 or older, a higher percentage than in 2005. In 2007 the average age of active RNs licensed in Michigan was 47.3 years.
The survey also found it's not just the nurses nearing retirement age who plan to stop practicing nursing in the near future. About 38% of all active RNs said they planned to practice nursing for one to 10 more years, a higher percentage than in 2005. In the 2007 survey, about 22% of all RNs said they had voluntarily left a nursing position in the last two years. Of that group, about 18% of RNs said they wanted to retire or quit nursing.
Illinois. In October 2007, the Illinois Nursing Workforce Survey Report was published by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. "Mirroring national data, huge numbers of Illinois nurses will be eligible to retire within the next few years," which the report said will negatively affect the balance of supply and demand. It found that 16% of RNs indicated an intention to retire within five years and 60% indicated that they'd be eligible for retirement within 15 years.
The authors of the report admitted that it's difficult to know whether the nursing workforce is or will be sufficient to meet the demand. However, Health Resources and Services Administration data for Illinois show a projected steady decrease in the supply of RNs through 2020, which would result in a 12% deficit. If demand increases by 28% as predicted, it will result in a shortfall of 31,900 RNs in the state.
Your Guide to Job Opportunities in the Midwest
Henry Ford Health System
Web site: http://www.henryfordmacomb.com
Mayo Clinic
200 First Street SW
Rochester, MN 55905
Contact: Human Resources Staffing Specialist
(800) 562-7984
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.org
In December 2007 the Texas Department of State Health Services published Supply Trends Among Licensed Health Professions, Texas 1980-2007, which includes data on NPs and RNs, among other health professionals.
NPs. The report shows that in 1990 there were only 901 NPs in Texas, but by 2007 there were 4,858. In 2007, 96.4% of the RNs were women, and their median age was 48 years. The median age of the male RNs was 44.
According to the report, Texas lags behind the country in terms of the number of NPs per person. But the proportions of both "have been increasing steadily over the last decade." Counties with the highest numbers of NPs per person tended to be in the northern parts of the state; metropolitan counties had higher proportions than in nonmetropolitan counties. In 2007, 60 counties, primarily located in the Panhandle, West Texas, and South Texas, had no NPs. "While the counties with the largest increases [horizontal ellipsis] were scattered across the state, the greatest concentrations of counties with a 100% increase or greater [horizontal ellipsis] were in the East and Northeast Texas areas," said the report.
RNs. The report shows that in 1986 there were 66,242 RNs in Texas. That number had ballooned to 155,858 by 2007. More than 90% were female, and their median age was 47 years. The median age of the male nurses was 44.
Although there are more RNs in Texas than any other kind of health professional, the state lags behind the country as a whole in terms of the proportion of RNs to the total population. "The highest concentrations of RNs were in Central and East Texas," according to the report. "Metropolitan counties have consistently had [much higher concentrations] of nurses than the nonmetropolitan counties; however, the [proportions in] both geographic areas have been static since 2002." Of special interest are the "border counties," those Texas counties along the border with Mexico, where the proportions are much lower than in the rest of Texas but show increases comparable to those elsewhere in the state.
Your Guide to Job Opportunities in Texas
Children's Medical Center Dallas
1935 Motor Street
Dallas, TX 75235
Contact: Human Resources
(888) 848-2990
Web site: http://www.childrens.com
Harris County Hospital District
2525 Holly Hall, Ste. 100
Houston, TX 77054
Contact: Human Resources/Employment and Recruitment Division
(713) 566-6408 or (800) 996-4243 (HCHD)
Web site: http://www.hchdonline.com
Memorial Hermann
Houston, TX 77074
Contact: Human Resources
Toll-free: (866) 441-4567
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.memorialhermann.org
RHD Memorial Medical Center
7 Medical Parkway
Dallas, TX 75234
Contact: Lori Faries, Director of Recruitment, Retention and Recognition
(972) 888-7296
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.rhdmemorial.com
St. David's HealthCare
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 544-0100
Web site: http://careers.stdavids.com
St. Joseph Health System
Human Resources 2801 E. 29th Street, Suite 113 Bryan, TX 77802
Toll-free: (888) 881-0142
Fax: (979) 774-0775
Web site: http://www.st-joseph.org
Tenet Healthcare System
Web site: http://www.tenethealth.com
The University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Blvd.
Galveston, TX 77555-0512
Contact: Nurse Recruitment
(409) 747-4717 or (877) 886-2499
Web site: http://www.UTMBnursing.com