Hit the nurse-call button: an urgent need for workers in the caring professions.

• Author: McKimmie, Kathy
• Position: Hospitals & Clinics

"Even though the economy is soft in a lot of sectors, in health care there is a high demand for services and there will continue to be," says Bruce Hamilton, vice president of human resources for Lutheran Hospital of Indiana, Fort Wayne, and Lutheran Health Network, its parent company operating five hospitals and other health centers in northeast Indiana.

"Baby Boomers will put a huge stress on our health-care system as they retire. That includes healthcare workers," says Hamilton. The average age of a nurse today is about 48. "Who is going to come behind them to take care of this big group of people? We have to look at the supply side for answers."

Although there are shortages in many health professions, most notably pharmacy, radiology and medical technology, none is worse hit than nursing. A recent American Hospital Association survey showed at least 125,000 registered-nurse positions were unfilled nationally, and by 2020 the nursing demand will exceed supply by more than 400,000.

It was welcome news to the health-care community when President Bush signed the Nurse Reinvestment Act in August, creating a Nurse Corps Scholarship program, extending loan-repayment programs for nursing education, and generally promoting nursing as a career. But the $250 million funding needed to carry out the programs is part of the on-going appropriations debate.

Why such a big nursing shortage? In the '60s, female high school grads were guided to nursing and teaching, says Marty DuRall, director of human resources for St. Vincent Hospitals, Indianapolis. Now their options are wide open. And attracting men into the nursing profession has been slow, she adds, because nursing hasn't offered significant economic rewards. "Well over 90 percent of nursing staff are female."

Those who do pursue nursing careers have many opportunities beyond the 24/7 world of hospitals. They're sought after by insurance companies, managed-care organizations and large physician group practices offering more attractive weekday work.

Pat Cassidy is employment supervisor at St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers, with more than 4,400 staff at three facilities: Beech Grove, Indianapolis and Mooresville. The nursing vacancy rate at St. Francis stands at 7.8 percent, well below the national average of about 12 percent, she says, but still high despite a very successful multimedia ad campaign in the spring. The goal was 50 new nurses; St. Francis ended the campaign with 106.

Even with a...