Nurses Working More in Down Economy( ...),Health

SAN DIEGO, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation continues to reel from high unemployment and underemployment, nurses are putting in more hours than at this time last year but expect to return to pre-recession work levels once the economy rebounds, according to a recent survey by AMN Healthcare, the nation's largest healthcare staffing company.

The survey involved nurses who during May visited NurseZone.com and RN.com, two of AMN's Web sites. More than 320 registered nurses responded to the survey that covered a range of workforce-related questions.

Of the nurses who responded, 47 percent said they have changed their schedules by working more overtime, adding a second position, or returning to work full time. A total of 58 percent indicated they are working more hours than they did a year ago. Twenty percent of the respondents said that the increased work hours are only temporary, as they plan to return to their previous work schedules as the economy rebounds.

"This survey highlights that the nursing vacancy rate has been positively impacted at least temporarily, as nurses increased their work hours for a variety of reasons," explained Marcia Faller, RN, MSN, AMN's Chief Nursing Officer. The reasons cited include making up for reduced family income due to a spouse job loss and interest in replenishing retirement funds impacted by last year's dramatic stock market decline. Faller continued: "However, based on our survey, we expect the vacancy rate to inch back up as nurses trim their hours or leave work altogether in parallel with economic recovery."

About AMN Healthcare

AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. is the largest healthcare staffing company in the United States and a leader in all three of its business segments: travel nurse and allied staffing, locum tenens staffing (temporary physici
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