One of the primary forces behind efforts to ease health care immigration rules is the persistent shortage of health care workers in the US. The shortage has gotten so severe that many believe that it will be impossible to ease the crisis without increasing the numbers of foreign nurses, doctors, therapists, technicians, nursing assistants and others from abroad. Each month we bring you the latest information on the shortage itself as well as what efforts are taking place to address the shortage, whether the solution is immigration-related or not.

**************

Florida Hospital Admissions Increase 4.5%

Florida Hospitals Association has released a data brief showing that admissions to hospitals in Florida increased about 4.5% in the year 2001, over 2.1 million.

The biggest increase was noted in Orlando hospitals (a 10% increase in patient admissions). In additions, patient days in hospitals also increased by 4% during the same time. The average length of stay was approximately 5 days.

Approximately 46% of the patient admissions were paid for by Medicare, followed by 25% HMO or PPO patients, and approximately 13% Medicaid patients. In addition, approximately 8% of all admissions were of uninsured patients.

To see the brief, go to: http://www.fha.org/acrobat/brief802.pdf

**************

Florida Governor Bush Unveils Program to Reward Nurses with Affordable Housing and Low Interest Loans

In an effort to encourage students to enroll in health care professions to help and ease the nursing shortage, Florida has started a loan program initiative to help healthcare providers recruit and retain nurses and other health care workers, named “The HealthCare Worker+”. Florida has about 10,000 vacant nurse positions which are expected to increase in 34,000 additional RN positions by 2006.

The student loan program is partly sponsored by EdSouth, which will help to provide low interest loans for licensed nurses and nursing students in Florida to pay for their studies or repay their college loans.

The other part of the program is sponsored by Fannie Mae, the nation's largest source of financing for home mortgages, which will help healthcare professionals to finance a home with a down payment of 1% or $500.

These loans will be given to full time RNs, licensed practical and vocational nurses, certified nurse’s assistants, physician assistants, medical technologists, technicians and physical and occupational therapists.

For more information, please go to: http://www.dca.state.fl.us/NurseHousingProgram.cfm?sk=2375. 

**************

North Carolina Survey Questions  Nurses’ Intentions To Stay With Employers

A new survey by the North Carolina Center for Nursing regarding the nurses’ intention to stay with their employers shows that the average RN staff nurse in North Carolina stays with her employer 7.8 years on average, and LPN staff nurse 8.6 years on average.

RN and LPN staff nurses in long term acre settings had fewer years with their current employer on average, than staff RNs employed by hospitals in either an in-patient or out-patient unit.

Staff RNs employed in hospital in-patient units averaged 8.6 years in their position and LPNs in the same setting averaged 14.1 years.staff RNs employed in long term care setting had a tenure average of 3.4 years and LPNs in the same setting averaged 7.7 years.

25% of staff RNs and 20% of staff LPNs said they planned to stay in their current job for 3 years or less, whereas 38.3% of staff RNs and 33.7% of staff LPNs said they planned to stay in their current job for 4 to 10 years. Only about 33% of staff RNs and 43% of staff LPNs planning to leave their current job within the next 3 years are within 3 years of their planned retirement point. The majority are leaving for other reasons.