The Age Factor and Your
Career
One doesn't have to look very hard to find any number of
articles or features about the severe shortage of quality nursing
professionals in the United States. One particular mega-trend
points to a continued shortage and increased employment
opportunities for RNs.
Everyone gets old at some point. And this basic truth affects
the nursing profession in two key ways.
A Graying America
As a nation, the U.S. is getting older. Due to advances in
medical technology, better living conditions, and healthier
eating habits, Americans are living longer. Caring for the
elderly and the myriad physical and mental conditions that
accompany old age is aggravating the current nursing shortage.
The elderly need more intensive care and require more attention.
The outlook doesn't look any better for the future... or does,
depending on how you look at it. The average life span of
Americans is projected to continue to lengthen steadily over the
next decade. We will live longer and consequently, we will
require more care over a longer period of time.
Professional opportunities in elder care have consequently
exploded over the last decade. The need for RNs continues to grow
steadily in such industries as nursing homes, home health care,
and hospice care. In addition, nurses have found healthcare jobs
in more non-traditional venues such as retirement communities,
adult day care facilities, and the like.
Nurses Get Older, Too
The second age-factor involves nurses themselves. Nearly
two-thirds of all working RNs are over the age of 40. In 1996,
the average age of California RNs was 46. That same year in New
York, the average age was 47.
Although, the average retirement age has been slowly
increasing, the fact remains that a significant segment of the
current nurse population will retire roughly at the same time.
This trend was exacerbated with the slowdown in the number of
candidates entering nursing school in the 1990's. So, as the
current crop of Baby Boomer-age nurses nears retirement, there
are fewer available trained nurses in the pipeline to readily
replace them.
Aging = Opportunity
To put it simply, a creeping Crisis of Aging is affecting the
already severe shortage of nurses. In most parts of the country,
this translates into more job opportunities with the potential of
higher starting salaries. The nursing profession has always been
cyclical with nurse shortages quickly followed by a surge of
nursing school enrollments, which eventually flooded the system
and started the cycle all over again.
The current situation may be different, however. Unemployment
levels are already at historic lows. With so many other
opportunities available to potential nursing school candidates
and the need for new nurses rapidly increasing, there is a
potential for a prolonged shortage which will drive salaries
higher as positions go unfilled.
This article was adapted from:
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