Nurses in high demand in state

While the overall job market might be tight, nursing and other health care professions show the most job security in Indiana. And because of the low number of nurses with a four-year degree, the industry is facing a shortage as baby boomers begin to retire.   
Nurses are in high demand, according to a press release from the Indiana Business Research Center at the Kelley School of Business.

“Overall, there’s a national shortage (of nurses),” said Joyce Krothe, professor and assistant dean of the IU-Bloomington School of Nursing.

As a result, “there’s a lot of opportunity to find employment and huge job security in nursing,” Krothe said. 

IU professor of economics Paul Graf and Krothe both attribute the increase in health care compared to a faltering economy to the demographics of the industry.

Baby boomers are retiring, and as a result there’s a big demand for service jobs, specifically health care professions such as nursing, Graf said.

Statistics released by the Business Research Center show that by 2014, nursing jobs will increase by 30 percent over 18 counties between south central and southeastern Indiana.

So, does this mean more people will pursue nursing? Not necessarily, Krothe said.
IU-Bloomington’s nursing school usually receives three to four more applications per opening than they can accept in order to maintain the 1:10 ratio of professors to students, Krothe said.

“There’s a lack of resources to accommodate all the students interested in nursing,” she said.

Krothe added that students also have a choice between a two-year associate’s program and a four-year bachelor’s program. Most tend to go for the two-year program and as a result, there’s a shortage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses eligible for graduate study. Krothe said it’s a lot to ask for people to get their master’s degree and Ph.D. to teach or pursue research.

“Faculty salaries aren’t that great, and as a result there’s a shortage,” she said.  
The combined factors of an aging population and limited opportunity for prospective nursing students leads to the problem of fewer people entering the field than those retiring. 

According to a study done in 2004 by the Health Resources and Service Administration, the average age of nurses with a four-year degree was 46.8 years with 41 percent more than 50 years old.

Fortunately, many programs recognize the dilemma and are working to accommodate more students. IU-Purdue University Indianapolis has an accelerated baccalaureate program for students who already have a bachelor’s degree. Other schools such as UCLA offer an entry-level master’s program in nursing.   
Graf is optimistic when looking at the shortage.

“An increase in demand for a product, in this case nursing, should yield an increase in supply,” Graf said. “Better opportunity leads to better job security.”