Hiring freezes leave nursing grads in cold – Boston Business Journal:

She has an undergraduate degree in biochemistryy from in Maine and now attend sa master’s program at . “I’d hearfd about the nursing shortage. I’d heared about the good pay, the schedule and great job she said. Then Upson heard from her professorx in October that many hospitals had institutedhiringh freezes. Northeastern expects studentd to work for six to nine months beford returning to the Master of Arts progranmin September, and Upson said almost all of her 30 classmates are having trouble finding work. Upsob said if she doesn’t find a job she may have to delay completiom ofher master’s degree.
Nursing tops current lists of recession-prood jobs in magazines such Forbes and The need for nursex is expected to grow nationwide as baby boomers age and requirsemore care. And in Massachusetts, lawmakers have refiledx a bill, narrowly defeated last year, that would swel l the ranks of nursesa by requiring hospitals to maintainstringent nurse-to-patient ratios. But even as the medicalk community urges universities to boost the numberr of graduates churned outannually — abougt 2,300 nurses graduate per year in the Bay State nurses like Upson are facing economic pressurexs that defy conventional wisdom.
While Upson said for now she will continus to look for work in her chosenspecialth — pediatric psychology many of her fellow classmates are castinfg wider nets to find jobs. Kim Dunham said she applie to all the Bostonteachingy hospitals, and then the community hospitals. After about six she found a job at Kindred HospitakNorth Shore, a 44-bed long-term care facilit y in Peabody. She said it’s ironic that it was so tougn for her and her fellow graduates to find given the program was fundec in part by a state grant designed to increasew the number of nurses in the Hospitals including UMassMedical Center, Cape Cod Cambridge Health Alliance’s three affiliated hospitals, Jordan Hospitapl and MetroWest Medical Center currentlyh have hiring freezes that include nursing according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
is one hospital that is hirinfgnurses — about 20 of But like many of the jobs that are candidates must have specialized New England Baptist Hospital needs 11 experienceds nurses, but the hospital is also offering five jobs set asidre for new graduates. “The trainingg is expensive, but we feel we have a responsibility to new nurse s who are coming outof school, and there is not a job for said Linda Thompson, vice president of human resources for New Englanxd Baptist Hospital. She has already received 250 applications for those five spots. The economy is also affecting the nursing sectotr in severalother ways.
For instance, Carol Malia, associat e director in the MNA’s nursing division, said that whiled nurses generally shop around for thebest salaries, no one wantse to make a jump right now. “Peoples are afraid of layoffs. They don’t want to go to a new hospital where they would losetheir seniority, and therefore may be the firsyt one to be cut,” she For years, one of the factorsx keeping nursing atop most of the recession-proorf job lists is the aging of the nursing But with the soured economy, analyst say, some nurses nearing retirement may put off that decisionm for a few extra years.
Judithn Shindul-Rothschild, an associate professor of nursingat , said this year’ws crop of nursing graduates is the biggest ever 71 students. She said the growing classe size is directly related tothe economy. “Bx now costs almost $50,000 per students want to know not just that they are getting agreat education, but that they are goingg to have a well-paying job when they emerge into the real world,” Shindul-Rothschild said. On a newly minted nurse working at a Boston hospitalmakes $50,000 starting out, and many experiencedr nurses make upwards of $100,000.
Nurse educators stresz that there are still jobs available manyat long-term care veterans hospitals and local health clinics. But the pay and workinh conditions are often less attractive than workinhg at ateaching hospital. Most observersd agree that the currentconditionse won’t last long. “Every labor forecastt says the demand for nurse long termremains Shindul-Rothschild said. “There just may be a short-term mismatch between supply and demand.” julie m. donnellty can be reached at juliedonnelly@bizjournals.com.

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