Nurses are taking on more hours and more shifts during the recession, but many say that it’s only temporary, according to a new survey.
Roughly 47% of the 320 nurses who responded to the AMN Healthcare survey said they have added second positions, work more overtime or have returned to full-time work. And while 58% say they are working more than they were this time last year, 20% indicated that once the recession is over, they will return to their previous job schedule. Many of the nurses reported needing to make up for lost family income or retirement funds that were depleted when the stock market plummeted.
The results of this survey reaffirm the notion that the recession is, at least temporarily, easing the nursing shortage. A Wall Street Journal report from May of last year found that more than 110,000 nurses joined or rejoined the workforce in 2007, due in large part to the recession. Another more recent study, however, found that nursing homes and long-term care facilities could be missing out on some of these unexpected workforce benefits. (McKnight’s, 6/15/09)
