Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) 2012 Convention

Right now in many places the nursing shortage isn’t being felt and due to the poor economy it’s harder for new grads without experience to find jobs. Not everywhere, but a lot of places. However the pendulum always swings back. . . there IS an impending nursing shortage that will be felt everywhere in the decades to come, for several reasons. First, the Baby Boomer generation is hitting retirement age. With such a large population that will soon be experiencing declining health, this will increase demands on all aspects of health care. With this aging population also comes a great number of aging RNs who are retiring, and there are not as many new RNs entering and staying in the profession to balance the numbers of those leaving. Finally, we are, as a society, growing more unhealthy. Obesity is an epidemic, and with that comes increasing rates of heart disease, diabetes, and other huge medically-dependent conditions. Nursing is a profession which is far more stable than many others. You might have a little difficulty getting a job as a new grad, but you are still years away from that and by then the economy will turn around and things will probably be back to where you will have your pick of jobs upon graduation, like it was a few years ago. Good luck.