New code seeks to prevent unethical treatment of foreign-educated nurses

Registered nurses (RNs) working at continuing care retirement communities received a lower-than-expected increase in their hourly rates this year. That is according to the soon-to-be-released CCRC Salary & Benefits report from the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HHCS).

In 2008, participants in the annual survey expected to provide a 3.43% raise to RNs in 2009. In actuality, however, this year’s national average hourly increase for RNs at CCRCs was only 2.31%. Also on the decline in 2009 is the average length of time to fill an RN position. The average of 32.13 days in 2008 fell by nearly 24 hours to 31.26 days in 2009, according to the HHSC survey. Many recent reports have indicated that the economic crisis has alleviated—albeit temporarily—the nursing shortage, which could contribute to the shorter fill time.

The annual HHSC report samples responses from more than 73,000 employees at 513 facilities nationwide, and covers roughly 82 different specific professions. The full report will be available at the end of June. A similar survey of nursing homes will be released in July.