Illinois Make Some Noise
Can't we all just (safely) get along?
Illinois introduced the Safe Patients Limits Act (HB 2604) on March 27 and it will be voted on by the IL House of Representatives on April 12th.
Go on...
HB 2604 was modeled after California’s nurse-to-patient ratio law that passed in 2004 (and has been doing wonders for the state’s healthcare needs). Illinois’ bill would even go one step further than CA’s by mandating safe staffing ratios in long term acute-care hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.
So, what's the hold up?
Oh, you know, just the mega hospital associations trying to argue a couple of things:
- The staffing ratio laws would push hospitals already struggling financially to terminate positions and entire units.
- It would increase the long-standing nurse shortage issue.
Unfortunately, those theories just don’t add up, thanks to research from CA’s staffing ratio law that’s been implements for well over 10 years:
- A 2015 study showed almost 56% fewer occupational injuries and illnesses among nurses (per 10,000 RNs), saving money for employers.
- A 2006 study showed that after only two years of the law being implemented, 80,000 licensed RNs found work in The Golden State. Coincidence? Probably not.
Staffing ratios have also been associated with increased job satisfaction and decreased burnout, which, in the long run, saves employers a ridiculous amount of money not having to recruit, hire, train and retain more nurses.
Bottom line…
For the safety of patients and nurses, this bill needs to pass in Illinois so states with similar proposed bills (Arizona, Texas, Ohio, and Maine) can take notes.
Home Health Jobs Projected to Surge
How big of a surge we talkin'?
The BLS projects a whopping 15% in the next 10 years, double the average for other occupations.
Ohhh, now the baby boomers need us... ;)
(definitely not a bitter millennial)
You could have already guessed it, but yes the baby boomers are aging into retirement and have demonstrated a desire to stay in their homes.
On top of the general trend of retirement, many of the most experienced RNs, not surprisingly also baby boomers, are set to retire, meaning the cumulative experience within the field will drop off considerably, relying on greener nurses to fill their shoes.
Takeaway
Everyone already knew that nurses were in demand, but it would be reasonable to hypothesize a nice bump volume and pay for travelers filling home health positions in the coming years.
New LPN to RN Guide
At a glance.
Last week, Nurse.org released an awesome guide on making the switch.
Is this really news?
Well, no but it is NEW and valuable. Triage has roughly 10 LPNs apply every single day, but travel jobs the specialty are relatively hard to come by.
Takeaway
With 1,000s of LPNs receiving this newsletter that we'd love to help acheive their goals, we wanted to include this detailed guide, in hopes that it would help in your search for jobs across the country!
