Eileen MSN, RN


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Senior vice president & chief nurse executive


Good news on the job front Projections show employment opportunities will continue to grow


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hetherwe’re in a shortage or a period of surplus, we knowemployment in nursing can be cyclical. Getting the right education and experience or trying to land a job in a specific specialty, facility or location in


either period can be challenging. Salary, employment and unemployment reports, predictions on specialties, what’s in, what’s out, what’s hot, what’s not and where the best jobs and lifestyles are can all be confusing. Yes, nursing employment can be cyclical, challenging and confusing—the three Cs—but there’s also lots of good news in our job outlook. What exactly do we mean by the job outlook? According to the U.S. Depart-


ment of LaborOccupational Handbook, the factors that influence the job outlook include the expected need for a particular service and variables like turnover and the number of new grads entering a particular profession, among others. A job outlook report looks at the growth that’s expected in a particular occupation or geographic area, so job seekers can determine where their best opportunities are. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its Occupational


Outlook Handbook, projectedRNemployment to grow19%from2012 to 2022. This growth prediction was based on a number of things, including increased emphasis on preventive care; growing rates of chronic conditions; and increased demand for healthcare services from baby boomers. The RobertWood Johnson Foundation called the nursing job outlook “sunny,” predicting that during these same years, 2012-2022,more than one-halfmillion RNpositions would open. Another BLS report on the job outlook from2006-2016 agreedwith theRWJF


projection, and predicted nursing to have the largest number of new jobs among all occupations. The report also projected 1 million total job openings for RNs due to growth and net replacements during that same decade, and that overall job opportunities for RNs were expected to be excellent. A report last year from the U.S.Department ofHealth andHuman Services,HRSA predictedRNsupply and demandwould “continue to be affected by numerous factors including population growth and the aging of the nation’s population, overall economic conditions, aging of the nursing workforce, and changes in healthcare reimbursement.” In this issue we look at rural nursing, a special practice setting forRNswhere job


outlook projections are important. According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, rural areas will require more outpatient care centers and will employ more nurse practitioners specializing in public or community health. Even when there’s good news in certain areas about supply and demand, nurse leaders in rural settings knowthey can’t be complacent. Their patients’ needs and the staffing levels required to meet themare crucial. Getting back to my three Cs: Cyclical:Will there be another nursing shortage?


Probably.Will it be followed by another period of surplus?Likely.Challenging:Must wechallenge ourselves to stay informed on thenursing job outlook andwork to keep our careers on track?For sure.Confusing: Are there thingswe might not understand fully or have control of in nursing employment? Yes. But one thing is definitely not confusing: The need for nurses will never end.We’ve chosen a great profession! •


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