What a Nurse Surplus Means to Travel Nurses

After years of reports about a nurse shortage, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is now predicting a nurse surplus of 340,000 by 2025, according to a recent Staffing Industry Analysts report.

Why does the HRSA now believe the industry faces a nurse surplus after expecting a nurse shortage since 2002? The number of nursing graduates increased 125 percent in 12 years, from 68,000 in 2001 to 155,000 in 2013.

Though it is difficult to predict whether enrollment numbers will stay steady, rise or fall, if the profession continues to grow at its current rate, there will be more registered nurses than available positions in the next 10 years.

How a nurse surplus impacts travel nurses

Despite the predicted nurse surplus in 2025, the career outlook for travel nurses remains bright. Here are a few reasons why there’s no reason to worry:

• Millions are now receiving affordable healthcare for the first time. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is providing healthcare insurance to millions of Americans who were previously uninsured — and those people need nurses to care for them in hospitals, doctors’ offices and clinics. As more people take advantage of healthcare premiums through the ACA, the demand for nurses will increase.
• Seasonal illnesses require all hands on deck. Even with a full staff, it can be difficult to take care of everyone who comes to the hospital or clinic during flu season or who has contracted an enterovirus. Travel nurses allow facilities to increase their patient load and give overworked staff relief during a busy time. Additionally, facilities who can hire travel nurses for just a few weeks have more wiggle room in their budgets and are more likely to hire those same nurses for opportunities later on.
• Rural areas will continue to need travel nurses. The report predicts that 16 states — mostly in the South and West — will experience a nurse shortage in 2025 while the rest of the country experiences a surplus. In rural areas where residents don’t have much access to healthcare, travel nurses will be regularly needed, as they are today.

What are your thoughts on the nurse surplus? Do you agree with the report?