Nurses Needed in Oklahoma

The state of Oklahoma recently posted the results from its Job Vacancy survey and was shocked to find that nursing is the highest-paying occupation with the most vacancies in the state, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. There were more than 2,200 vacancies for registered nurses. And RNs with a BSN or MSN were even more in demand. However to me, the results really weren't all that surprising. If you've been reading this blog lately or have been in tune to this country's nursing shortage crisis you would've suspected that nursing vacancies are at an all-time high and getting worse each year.

A recent study by the Oklahoma Hospital Association found the state faces a shortage of more than 3,000 nurses, 500 lab technicians, 400 physical therapists, 300 surgical technologists and 200 occupational therapists by 2012. An aging population requiring more health services, as well as the impending retirements of nurses and nurse educators, are among the main reasons for the projected shortage. An estimated 450,000 nurses will be retiring within the next decade according to the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. By 2020, the nurse shortage is expected to increase from its current level of 150,000 to 800,000!

The Oklahoma Job Vacancy Survey included responses from more than 4,000 employers in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and across the state about their labor needs. Besides specific jobs, industries with the greatest number of vacancies were leisure and hospitality (20.3 percent), education and health services (19.3 percent), professional and business services (17.7 percent) and trade, transportation and utilities (14.5 percent).