Will the Trend Toward Higher Education Impact Nurse Supply? Implications for Workforce Planning

Shortages of nurses, particularly regional and specialty shortages, are widely acknowledged among care providers and in the health care staffing and workforce solutions sector of the health care industry. Orders for temporary nurses-including travel and per diem nurses-surged beginning in mid-2014 for AMN Healthcare, the nation's largest nurse staffing company, and have continued to be so strong that they cannot all be filled with existing supply. This trend for both permanent and temporary nurses is occurring throughout the health care industry, and is clearly reflected in data from federal sources showing a widening gap of unfilled health care jobs over the last 2 years.